One and one still make two, just like they did in the 1800s. The problem, say educators, is that some math classrooms still operate basically the same way they did in the 1800s, too.
Enter Math Teacher Link, an LAS outreach program aimed toward bringing math teaching up-to-date with the computer era. For hundreds of years, says coordinator Tom Anderson, math teaching was a static art, with methods much the same in the 20th century as they were in the early 19th century.
Judging by the response Math Link has hit a nerve. The program is one of the college’s most widely regarded outreach initiatives, with more than 600 high school and community college instructors from around the country having enrolled in the online program since 1997. The teachers are seeking new ideas and methods to better use technology in teaching math, and they’ve come away impressed.
At any one time, around 20 instructors are enrolled in Math Teacher Link and learning how to use technology in teaching algebra, calculus, geometry, or statistics. The teachers complete roughly five graded assignments and a final project where they design a teaching unit that utilizes technology.
Teachers generally need about 25 to 30 hours to complete the course, which they complete on their own schedule. They earn one semester hour of credit toward professional development, which is often part of how teacher salaries are increased.
Anderson, who conducts the program with Tony Peressini, professor emeritus of mathematics, and Debra Woods, mathematics lecturer and NetMath director, says accessibility and specificity were top priorities when the program was created.
“It’s an outreach to the math community to allow them to take courses that apply to their own courses, and on their own timeframe,” Anderson says.
Teachers who take the course don’t fill out course evaluations, but indications are that the program is extremely helpful. Aside from the warm comments coordinators receive, there’s the fact that of the 643 teachers who’ve taken courses so far, at least half are repeat customers with some coming back up to nine times.
Check out Math Teacher Link online.
