Some Information on Mathematics Education
(by Prof.
Steffen Lempp,
Department of
Mathematics,
University of
Wisconsin-Madison)
I am the faculty course supervisor for the following mathematics courses for
elementary education education majors;
Dr. Oh Hoon Kwon
(@math.wisc.edu">kwonmath.wisc.edu)
is the Math 13X Course Supervisor.
Math 130, 131, and 132 are the three math content courses required
for elementary
education education majors, together with the math methods course
C&I 370 (see the
UW course guide) taught by the
Department of
Curriculum and Instruction.
Math 130, 131, and 132 are usually taken in sequence; contact
Dr. Oh Hoon Kwon or me (preferably
by email:
@math.wisc.edu">
kwonmath.wisc.edu or
@math.wisc.edu">
lemppmath.wisc.edu)
to be granted an exemption from this requirement.
(C&I 370 has Math 130 and 131 as prerequisites and
can be taken concurrently with Math 132.)
Once one of us has granted this exemption,
please contact Dr. Kwon to help you register, since the registrar's computer
system needs to be overridden manually.
The three courses Math 130-131-132 have a prerequisite of
Math 101 (which is offered by UW-Madison
in both the fall and spring semester), an equivalent course
elsewhere, or (most commonly) placement into
Math 112 (see
general placement test information,
sample math placement tests, and
placement score evaluation).
Note, however, that students do not have to
take Math 112 to take Math 130-131-132.
Also note that Math 141 does not give you the placement
into Math 112 required to enroll in Math 130-131-132!
Please note that effective fall semester 2012,
any student wanting to register for a Math 13x course must have a grade of at
least C in all prerequisite Math 13x courses (unless exempted from these
courses).
Under certain circumstances, students can be exempt from Math 130 and/or 131
(see here for the precise
rules), but not from Math 132. Similarly, some courses from
other universities may transfer toward Math 13x credit, see the
UW
Transfer Information System for the most common courses transferable
from other UW campuses; for all other questions about possible course
credit transfer for Math 13x courses, contact
Dr. Oh Hoon Kwon or me
(preferably by email:
@math.wisc.edu">
kwonmath.wisc.edu or
@math.wisc.edu">
lemppmath.wisc.edu).
Note that Math 130 also meets the Quantitative Reasoning Requirement Part A of the
UW-Madison School of Education, and that Math 131 and 132
together, or Math 135, or any calculus course, meet the Quantitative Reasoning Requirement Part B of the
UW-Madison School of Education. (Education students not in
elementary or special education are advised, however, to meet the Quantitative
Reasoning requirements via other courses (check for the lists of courses for
QR-A and QR-B in the
UW course guide).
Math 135, Math 136 and Math 138 are the three math content courses of the new
Mathematics-Science Dual Minor intended for all Elementary
Education and Special Education majors wishing to enhance their content
preparation in mathematics and science. (Students taking this minor are
exempt from Math 132!) This minor is particularly suitable
for those Elementary Education majors seeking Middle Childhood-Early
Adolescence
certification and intending to teach mathematics and science in middle school.
(The last math content course for this minor, Math 138, is being offered for
the first time in spring 2011; Math 132 can no longer be taken as its
substitute unless you have taken it before spring 2011.)
- Math 130: Mathematics for Teaching: Numbers and Operations:
taught in three sections each semester, using
- Thomas Parker/Scott Baldridge: Elementary Mathematics for
Teachers (complete package with five elementary
school books)
- Sybilla Beckmann: Activities Manual for
Mathematics for Elementary Teachers (3rd edition),
you do not need the textbook; the activities manual
is being sold separately in used copies as it is out of print!
- Math 131: Mathematics for Teaching: Geometry and Measurement:
taught in three sections each semester, using
- Thomas Parker/Scott Baldridge: Elementary Geometry for
Teachers
- Primary Math 3B Textbook (U.S. Edition)
- Primary Math 4A Textbook (U.S. Edition) (copies of
needed pages from this book will be provided in class)
- Primary Math 5A Textbook (U.S. Edition) (copies of
needed pages from this book will be provided in class)
- Primary Math 5B Textbook (U.S. Edition)
- Primary Math 6B Textbook (U.S. Edition)
- New Elementary Math Textbook 1
- Sybilla Beckmann: Activities Manual for
Mathematics for Elementary Teachers (3rd edition),
you do not need the textbook; the activities manual
is being sold separately in used copies as it is out of print!
- Math 132: Problem Solving in Algebra, Probability and Statistics:
taught in three section each semester (and often one section in summer),
using
- Course pack
- Math 135: Algebraic Reasoning for Teaching Mathematics:
taught in one section in spring semester only, using
- Lecture Notes
(free download for educational/non-profit purposes only)
- the following Singapore Math textbooks:
- Primary Mathematics Textbook 5A (U.S. Edition)
(You may have this book already from your Math 130 class;
do not buy this book if you don't have it;
copies of the few pages we need will be provided for free in class)
- Primary Mathematics Textbook 6A (U.S. Edition)
(You may have this book already from your Math 130 class)
- New Elementary Mathematics Textbook 1 (Syllabus D)
(You may have this book already from your Math 131 class)
- New Elementary Mathematics Textbook 2 (Syllabus D)
- New Elementary Mathematics Textbook 3A (Syllabus D)
(out of print, copies of pages will be provided as needed)
- New Syllabus Additional Mathematics Textbook
(Do not buy this book, copies of the few pages
we need will be provided for free!)
- Math 136: Pre-calculus and Calculus for Middle School Teachers:
taught in one section in fall semester only, consisting of a large lecture
of Math 171 ("Calculus with Algebra and Trigonometry I")
and a special 3-hour discussion section, using
- the textbooks for Math 171, and
- worksheets handed out in class
- Math 138: Mathematics for Teaching: Conjecture, Generalization,
and Proof: course materials distributed in class
Math 130-131-132 are the math content courses preparing students to become
elementary or middle school teachers. The students and especially the content
in these courses are very different from those found in other mathematics
classes in that they focus on a "profound understanding of elementary
mathematics".
Special interest in how teachers are prepared, and some familiarity with
current developments in how mathematics is taught in schools, are essential
for a TA in these courses.
Normally, a TA teaching these courses would be someone with a minor or a
special interest in mathematics education since it is desirable to have some
background in educational psychology and how someone learns mathematics. Since
these courses are also taught by faculty, appointments to teach them are made
by the TA coordinator of the department in consultation with Dr. Kwon and me.
TA's interested in teaching one of these courses should contact Dr. Kwon or me
by email:
@math.wisc.edu">
kwonmath.wisc.edu or
@math.wisc.edu">
lemppmath.wisc.edu.
Each single section of Math 130, 131 and 132 corresponds to a 50% appointment
level.
This includes some required special TA training during the last few weeks of
the previous semester, some required meetings with other Math 13x TA's as well
as me and other faculty during the semester, and a fair amount of grading
homework.
Two quotes from George Pólya's "How To Solve It":
"Mathematics presented with rigor is a systematic deductive science
but mathematics in the making is an experimental inductive science."
"Heuristic reasoning is good in itself.
What is bad is to mix up heuristic reasoning with rigorous proof.
What is worse is to sell heuristic reasoning for rigorous proof."
|
---|
Some Studies and Reports in Mathematics Education
Some Textbooks and Course Materials in Mathematics Education
Other Math Education Links
Prepared by
Steffen Lempp
(@math.wisc.edu">lemppmath.wisc.edu)