Education Commons^™

Testing, Accountability And Accrediation, Sanford D. Snider

MERC Publications

The primary purpose of this case study was to describe the implementation of the Virginia Standards of Learning in seven public school systems in the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area. Implementation includes the application of the grade level and subject objectives to daily classroom instruction, organization of instruction, and preparation of students for administration of the tests.

The Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) is made up of Virginia Commonwealth University and seven school systems in the vicinity of Richmond. A Policy and Planning Council, which governs the consortium, is made up of the school superintendent, a representative member of each school …

Contents

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Mathematics And Science: Collaborative Explorations

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Algebra And Calculus For All?, Z. Usiskin

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Shaping The Future Of Teacher Preparation In Science And Mathematics, M. George

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Student Discovery And Learning Through Precalculus Cbl Projects, R. Farley, K. Wallo

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Demonstrations For Children Of All Age- The Cork Canon, S. Thornton

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Demonstrations are one of the most useful techniques for teaching science to anyone, regardless of age. Demonstrations attract attention and normally make the observer want to learn more about what is happening. This paper reports on The Cork Cannon, one of the favorite demonstrations done in the demonstration road show, Phun Physics, that travels to schools within about 60 miles of Charlottesville. The Department of Physics and the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education sponsor this demonstration show, which was seen by about 8000 persons during the last school year. Although quite simple, the Cork Cannon demonstration is rich …

An Undergraduate Intern Model For Mathematics Teacher Preparation, R. Ford, W. Fisher

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Research To Inform The Evaluation Of The Maryland Collaborative For Teacher Preparation, J. Mcginnis, T. Watanabe

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Educational Research Abstracts, G. Bass Jr.

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Editors' Note: As noted in previous issues of the Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations, the purpose of this Educational Research Abstract section is to present current published research on issues relevant to math and science teaching at both the K-12 and college levels. Because educational research articles are published in so many different academic journals, it is a rare public school teacher or college professor who reads all the recent published reports on a particular instructional technique or curricular advancement. Indeed, the uniqueness of various pedagogical strategies has been tacitly acknowledged by the creation of individual journals dedicated …

Aims & Scope

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

A Summer Academy Program For Prospective Teachers: Model Teaching Experiences, M. Neathery

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This article describes the project, A Summer Academy Program for Prospective Teachers: Model Teaching Experiences, of the Oklahoma Teacher Education Collaborative (O-TEC), one of the nation’s Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP). To recruit highly qualified teachers in science and mathematics, O-TEC institutions promote a program of summer academies that provide prospective teachers with opportunities to become familiar with effective teaching methods. During the academy, high school juniors and seniors explore inquiry-based teaching strategies, exemplary curricula, science and math content, and state and national standards in math and science education-all under the tutelage of mentor teachers, a Master-Teacher-in- Residence, …

Addressing Prospective Elementary Teachers' Beliefs About The Nature Of Mathematics: A Case For Exploring Students' Conceptions Of Mathematics In A Math Education Course, K. Dorgan

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Our challenge in preparing Virginia’s K-8 teachers in mathematics is a complex one. Additional requirements, including more challenging math content courses or more innovative pedagogical courses, may provide part of the solution. It is the premise of this paper, however, that additional knowledge and skills are not enough. In order to prepare teachers who will engage in current best practice pedagogy, we must also address teachers’ attitudes and dispositions, their beliefs and conceptions of mathematics itself. This paper will attempt to justify this position. It will also describe strategies used in the Inquiry in Mathematics course in Mary Baldwin’s MAT …

Technology Integration In A Science And Mathematics Methods Course: Addressing Virginia's Computer/Technology Standards Of Learning, G. Meadows, M. Sheckels

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools [1] require a high level of knowledge in the use of computers and technology on the part of both students and educators. The Education Department at Mary Washington College has decided to prepare its students to meet this challenge by adopting a strategy of program wide integration of technology, bringing appropriate uses of technology into each education course. This strategy calls for the use of technology by both students and instructors. The course Instructional Skills in the Elementary Classroom, a science and mathematics planning course, served as a proving ground for this …

Title Page

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Reform Of Preservice Science Education: An Example From A State-Supported University, R. Adams, G. L. Stringer

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The ongoing movement to reform the teaching and learning of mathematics and science began as an effort targeting grades K-12. This movement, however, also has significant implications for institutions of higher education, especially in the area of teacher preparation. Northeast Louisiana University has utilized an extensive system of support, including vital National Science Foundation funding, to redesign its science curriculum for elementary education majors. Four courses featuring the content areas of biology, chemistry, geosciences, and physics and integrated with respect to content and methodology were collaboratively developed by education and science faculty. and were approved as requirements for all preservice …

Challenges For Science And Mathematics Faculty, S. T. Thornton

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The increased science and mathematics teacher licensure requirements for K-8 teachers are clearly necessary to prepare teachers to appropriately teach the new Virginia SOLs [1]; The expectations of a program equivalent to 12 hours of science and 12 hours of mathematics for the PreK-6 endorsement and the 21 hours each of math and science to teach middle school math and science must be chosen very carefully indeed if future teachers are to be prepared to teach the specific SOL content, as well as "practical applications and the use of appropriate technology“. Most Virginia colleges and universities are not currently offering …

Title Page, Editor's Note

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Education School Challenges: The Increasing Demands On K-8 Teachers, A. J. Benson

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The educational needs of future K-8 teachers in the areas of mathematics and science are greater as a result of the increased (and, I would add, appropriate) student expectations in the area of mathematics and science as enunciated in the SOL and the specific content areas as described in the new licensure requirements. The sophistication and understanding of science and mathematics that is needed at both the elementary school and middle school levels is indeed substantial. However, proficiency in science and mathematics is only one portion of the total needs of new teachers. How are we all, from the Colleges …

Contents

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Virginia Commonwealth University's Program For K-6 And 6-8 Teachers: The Interdisciplinary B.S. In Science, R. W. Farley

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has very recently revised its requirements for the K-6 Certification to include a total of 21 hours in mathematics and science as well as a three credit hour methods course in mathematics and science. This requirement includes a physical science and a biological science course, each with a laboratory component, a contemporary mathematics course with extensive student projects, collaborative work and applications, a statistics course and interdisciplinary science and mathematics course. We believe that as students complete these requirements they will meet the new State K-6 licensure requirements in all areas, with the exception of geometry. …

Liberal Studies At Longwood College: Preparing Teachers For Virginia's Future, J. D. Smith

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Liberal Studies Major provides future teachers studying at Longwood College with an excellent opportunity to prepare for all aspects of teaching in elementary school classrooms. In the area of mathematics and science, the Liberal Studies Major contains a total of 24 hours of mathematics and science, and prepares future K-6 classroom teachers to teach all components of the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) in these disciplines. Longwood College is currently studying how requirements can be modified within the Liberal Studies Program to make it possible for students to complete the discipline specific course work that will be necessary for …

Higher Education's Greatest Current Opportunity And Responsibility, R. F. Watson

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Preparing the next generation of teachers at all levels from kindergarten through college is higher education’s greatest current opportunity. Getting it right may be our greatest challenge. The face of science and technology is by definition changing constantly. Today, many feel that the most important work in science is going on increasingly at and across the interfaces of the traditional discipline. To serve our society well, education in the sciences, mathematics, engineering, and technology must change accordingly. In my view, curricula at all levels (K-16) too often continue to reflect only the narrow traditional disciplinary approaches that science has taken …

A New Interdisciplinary Mathematics And Science Course, P. E. Mcneil

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

As Norfolk State University has been considering how to adequately prepare students to teach the challenging new mathematics and science called for the Virginia Standards of Learning [1], we have reached the conclusion that the student programs need to provide interdisciplinary experiences linking mathematics and science. We reached the conclusion for two reasons. First, even with the larger number of courses called for in the new licensure regulations, there are not enough course hours available to teach all of the different mathematics and science topics that future teachers need to have studied. Second, elementary and middle school students do not …

Scientists And The Science Educators: Collaborating To Develop Conceptual Change Teaching Strategies, G. E. Glasson

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Research in science education has identified conceptual change teaching strategies that may enhance pre-service teachers’ understanding of scientific concepts and processes. These strategies, supported by constructivist learning theory in the social and cognitive sciences, include the use of discrepant events to engage students’ prior knowledge, the learning cycle, and collaborative learning. Science educators have used these strategies to challenge alternative conceptions of pre-service K-8 teachers in methods courses in an effort to facilitate learning scientific concepts. Pre-service K-8 teachers, motivated to explore scientific phenomena and clarify their own understandings, gain confidence in their ability to learn science and are better …

A Preliminary Analysis Of The Supply And Demand For Middle School Mathematics And Science Teachers In Virginia, J. A. Sigler

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Virginia Colleges and Universities have a major challenge to produce educated elementary and middle school students. The magnitude of this challenge can be measured by studying the number of current teachers in each grade in Virginia and the anticipated retirements and departures from the profession for other reasons. The new licensure requirements have their biggest impact for the preparation of middle school teachers since middle school teachers will no longer be able to receive general middle school certification.

Teaching And Learning Seminar For Science And Mathematics Faculty, D. R. Sterling

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

A yearlong seminar for science and mathematics faculty to investigate teaching and learning is in its second year at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. This article describes the seminar and preliminary findings from the first year.

Third International Mathematics And Science Study (Timss) And The Nature Of College Courses, D. R. Sterling

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The TIMSS report leads to some strong conclusions concerning the effectiveness of various approaches for teaching mathematics and science in grades K-8. This presentation will focus on a description of the findings of TlMSS concerning effective teaching. Although the TIMSS study and its findings relate directly to teaching prior to college, the findings do have a lot to say about effective teaching at the college level. At the very least, they describe the type of teaching and learning that future teachers must experience if they are to bring about this type of learning in their own courses.

Hands-On Physical Science Course At Radford University, T. Tanaka

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Most students in our introductory physical science course are elementary education majors. We are faced with several obstacles in teaching basic science to these students. For example, they lack interest in science, logical thinking, and necessary data gathering and analysis skills, among others. Many of those obstacles could be traced back to the science courses they had taken in the past. Those courses put more emphasis on memorizing scientific facts than understanding natural phenomena or experiencing scientific methods. As a result, the students tend to have a negative attitude toward science in general. In order to reverse this attitude, We …

An Investigative Approach To Teaching Mathematics: Excitement And Concerns Of K-8 Preservice Teachers, J. L. M. Wilkins

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Following from the recommendations of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, an Investigative Approach (IA) to teaching mathematics encourages students to explore real-world problems through hands-on activities instead of focusing on rote memorization of facts, formulas, and procedures. This paper discusses thirty-two K-8 preservice teachers‘ responses to questions regarding excitements and concerns about using this method of teaching. Although most preservice teachers are excited about the prospects of using this approach in their future classrooms, some exhibit hesitations related to concerns about time constraints and their own math abilities. A mathematics methods course presently being taught that is centered …