C & I 302--Overview

In C&I 301, you began laying a foundation of understanding in the field of mathematics education. You addressed your growing self-concept both as mathematicians and as mathematics educators. You examined the current issues and trends that are at the forefront of mathematics education as we bridge to the 21st century. Through all of this study, you focused on the vast diversity of students who enter our classrooms and who need to learn mathematics. There are a myriad of mechanisms within the societal structure of schooling that either facilitate or inhibit the participation of diverse students in mathematics. Hopefully, you have begun developing an awareness of these mechanisms through both your coursework and your field experience. If so, you have begun developing an appreciation for the complexities of teaching and learning mathematics in today's ever-changing classrooms.

This semester, we will continue the development of this foundational understanding. C&I 302 focuses on the teaching and learning of mathematics at the middle school level. This is the first course where you will not only continue the development of theory, but also begin the application of theory into practice. As we revisit the issues already in our teacher education experience in the practical context of teaching and learning middle school mathematics, we will begin to refine our beliefs and understandings of those issues.

	At the beginning of the semester, a diagram of a methods class might look somewhat like the one to the left. The skew lines going off in all different directions are representations of the teacher candidates (that's you!) and the circle in the middle could represent the methods class (that's C&I 302!). Do you see the yellow point on the circle. That is often a good representation of a topic in the methods class. The instructor is trying to focus on a particular aspect of mathematics education, but because of the different contexts of your practice teaching environments, it is quite difficult to instersect (i.e., make connections) with all of the teacher candidates. It is my goal to begin with the flat dimensional diagram to the left and, over the course of the semester, develop into the 3 dimensional model below. Here, the connections are numerous and are of all different types. There is a support structure that inherent to this diagram, and I hope, to C&I 302. It is a richer picture of what practice teaching and an accompanying methods course can be. Let us see if we can develop our own sphere of learning.
My hopes and purposes of C&I 302 are at least three-fold: (1) To provide you a base of support as you make the transition from student to practicing member of the profession. (2) To examine methods of delivering mathematics instruction to meet the needs of diverse middle grade learners in a diverse world. (3) To immerse you in the emerging field of mathematics education research and thought, thus enabling you to continue the lifelong learning and professional development that is crucial in a changing world.