· Missouri Math and Science Partnership Grant

· ICME 11 Theme Group

· Developing “Math in the Modern World”

· Scholarly Inquiry into Teaching Workgroup

· Developing Mathematical Ideas Facilitators Institute

Projects

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

- Thomas Edison

Missouri Math and Science Partnership Grant

I serve as the math content representative of Rockhurst University to this grant received by the Blue Springs School District. I will plan and conduct summer institutes for teachers in Grades 6-12 beginning Summer 2008 and ending Summer 2010. The institute aims to strengthen mathematics content and pedagogy knowledge, ability and confidence and to improve vertical alignment of mathematics curriculum. A spiraled cohesive research–based curriculum that is inquiry and concept based will be used for the institutes.

 

ICME 11 Theme Group

I have received a grant from the NCTM to attend the Eleventh International Congress on Mathematics Education this summer (2008) and to work as part of a theme group on “Rethinking the Curriculum in Primary and Secondary Mathematics Education.” This will involve attending ICME 11, writing a report on my experience at ICME 11 and contributing to a report written with the members of the theme group on the discussions and presentations that have taken place relating to our theme group topic.

Developing “Math in the Modern World”

I am developing a one-semester conceptual mathematics course to serve as a core requirement class designed to address mathematics which appears in the world around us today through inquiry-based, hands-on activities and discussion. We will cover topics such as voting theory, micro-lending and origami and consider how they relate to mathematics. As a major portion of their grade, students will develop course projects that will contribute to the development of a Mystical Math Room to be set up as an educational math experience for all math students and the public.

Scholarly Inquiry Into Teaching Workgroup

Over the past semester I have participated in the “Scholarly Inquiry Into Teaching Workgroup” at Rockhurst. Each member of the group chose a project to focus on for the semester and we met regularly to provide updates on the status of our projects and to receive feedback from the group. I chose to work on finding ways to assess the benefits to my students of inquiry based learning in upper level math courses. This was such a broad question that I had difficulty at first in focusing on what I really wanted to assess. At this stage, with a lot of help from the group, I have some forms of assessment that I am going to try in my Abstract Algebra class next semester. I greatly enjoyed and benefitted from this experience and I am hoping that the group will reconvene next semester.

Developing Mathematical Ideas Facilitators Institute

I am attending this institute in July 2008 at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. This group has been running a very successful institute for teachers for more than 25 years and they are now also offering this institute for those of us who want to learn to facilitate teacher institutes. They have created a great curriculum that they use at their institutes which emphasizes conceptual understanding through inquiry based learning.