Education Commons^™

Effectiveness Of Educator-Oriented Content Courses, Joslyn K. Burt

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

The idea of teaching science strikes fear into the hearts and minds of many elementary teachers; however, as a core piece of the overall curriculum, they cannot escape teaching science. The courses taken at the university and the professional development classes taken on the job play a critical role in helping educators feel comfortable teaching science. Such courses also impact how the content is taught by introducing the best practices used in science teaching.

As a Basic Science Minor in the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa, I have taken many science content courses and several courses …

Math Wars: The Politics Of Curriculum, Raymond Johnson

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

There is an ongoing battle in mathematics education, a battle sometimes so fierce that some people call it the "math wars". Americans have seen many changes and proposed changes in their educational system in the last fifty years, but few have stirred such debate, publicity, and criticism as have the changes in mathematics education. We will first look at the history of the math wars and take time to examine previous attempts to change mathematics education in America. Second, we will assess the more recent efforts in mathematics education reform. Lastly, we will make some predictions for the future of …

The Effects Of A Student-Centered Thinking Strategies Approach To Learning Basic Facts, Amber L. Grotjohn

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Now the question becomes, "Can children learn basic facts even better by using a student-centered approach to helping them learn thinking strategies?" This study is an examination of a thinking strategies approach to teaching basic addition facts.

Incorporating The Ti-92 Into A High School Classroom, Heather Golliher

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

Calculators have been a part of mathematics for years. More recently, the graphing calculator has been widely accepted as a mathematical tool. The Tl-92 has the capability to take this technology integration a step further. It has been described as having "the power of a computer with the independence of a graphing calculator." With the geometry package and the symbolic manipulation unique to the Tl-92, the question becomes, how should this technology be coordinated with the existing curricula in high school classrooms to make the learning and teaching of mathematics as exciting and relevant as possible?

Mathematics Anxiety: A Study Of Its Causes As Proclaimed By Educational Research, Jennifer Rupp

Presidential Scholars Theses (1990 – 2006)

In today's fast-paced, high-stress society, feelings of anxiety have become commonplace; even normal. Of the many anxieties that have been found to affect people, one that I, as a future math teacher, have become very concerned about is mathematics anxiety (also called mathphobia). Even now, during my college career, I have noticed an alarming number of people around me (colleagues, co-workers, relatives, roommates, etc.) who claim to be "terrified" of math. Listening to their explanations as to why they find math so threatening has made me realize the importance that math anxiety will have in my career.

For these reasons, …