The Texas Mathworks Teacher Training Program is sponsored by a Teacher Quality Grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The two-week training program will run from June 9 - June 20, 2008 in McAllen and San Marcos. In the morning, teacher trainees will actively observe master teachers and students in a summer math camp. In the afternoon, teachers participate in a graduate class, MTE 5311: Quantitative Methods.

This course is part of a new program at Texas State leading to a Masters in Middle School Mathematics Teaching. The Masters program has 36 hours total, 24 hours in Mathematics and 12 hours in Education Leadership. Teachers may continue taking on-line courses as well as summer courses to complete the program. For more information, contact Dr. Sharon Gronberg, sg08@txstate.edu, or call 512-245-8021.

The summer Mathworks Teacher Training program includes:

• 30 hours – working with master teachers in the mornings.

• 30 hours – instruction in topics above during the afternoon.

• 30 hours – working under master teacher supervision in follow-up camp (optional)

Note:

• A total of 45 hours of Professional Continuing Education hours are awarded, approved by the State Board for Education Certification (SBEC).

 

Program Overview

The Texas Mathworks Teacher Institute provides teachers with the mathematical background and training needed to prepare all students for success in algebra. This teacher training program is designed to:

• prepare teachers to offer their own two-week summer math camp for middle school students in their school district using the Texas Mathworks model, which will prepare all students for success in algebra;
• enable teachers to integrate hands-on pre-algebra activities, carefully aligned to the TEKS, into the curriculum;
• train teachers to successfully begin teaching algebra at the 6th and 7th grade levels;
• develop teams of teachers (grades 3 - 8) to prepare students for success in algebra and more advanced mathematics courses.
  

This program consists of two parts:

Part1: Teacher Training (3 hours of graduate training)

Teacher trainees observe a math camp at a specially-designated training site. Teacher trainees receive instruction about the mathematical content and pedagogy that prepares them to offer their own camp, receiving 3 hours of graduate credit.

Part 2: Follow-up (60 hours)

Teacher trainees conduct a math camp for their own school district observed by master teachers. The new camp is typically conducted immediately following the training program. Additional activities include working with a Math Inquiry Group of teachers, conducting lesson studies, and 4 school-year workshops.

Program Description

Math camps conducted by school districts are based on the nationally recognized Texas Mathworks Math Camp model. This two-week program is designed for students in grades 3 – 8. The goal is to prepare students for algebra and more advanced mathematics courses. There are five levels to the program:

There are five levels to the program:

• Level I: The Mathematical Mystery Tour
  Topics include beginning algebra, positive and negative numbers, absolute value, variables, expressions, and inequalities.

• Level II: MathQuest
  Students study the Cartesian Plane, functions, fractions, equivalent fractions, decimals, and applications.

• Level III: Math Explorations
  Topics include beginning algebra, graphs, measuring angles, triangles, straight lines, coordinate geometry, and problem solving.

• Level IV: Combinatorics
  Topics include basic concepts from discrete math, combinations, permutations, counting principles, and applications.

• Level V: Problem Solving
  Students study a wide range of problems, including contest type problems, fundamental theorems in geometry, and using combinatorics in a variety of settings. The top students from Level 5 form the Texas Mathworks team to the Primary Mathematics World Contest in Hong Kong.