Initial Publication Date: July 24, 2018
Felicia Lewis: Using InTeGrate Materials in Mathematics in the Elementary School at Edward Waters College
About this Course
This is an upper level course. Students are enrolled as pre-service elementary education teachers. They must take this course before they take the practicum and internship courses.
8
students
Two -120 minute lecture sessions
Syllabus (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 62kB Jun27 18)
A course designed for teaching sequential development skills and concepts of mathematics. The class discussion and assignments will present tools for mathematics instruction, including the real number system and problem solving techniques. Provisions are made to explore various materials and strategies for diagnostic teaching.
- A vision of mathematical power for all in a technological society.
- Mathematics as problem solving, communicating, reasoning.
- A curriculum for all that includes a broad range of content, a variety of contexts, and deliberate connections.
- The learning of mathematics as an active, constructive process.
- Instruction based upon real world problems.
- Assessment and evaluation as a means of improving instruction and learning.
By the end of this course, the successful student will be able to do the following:
1. To demonstrate knowledge of the core competencies of mathematics K-6 (content area i.e. knowledge of numbers and operations, geometry and measurement, algebra, data analysis)
2. To create developmental appropriate instructional material and assessments for teaching specific concepts.
3. To apply developmental appropriate teaching methods and strategies in the development of lesson plans and instruction.
4. To create developmental appropriate assessments and evaluation tools for specific content areas, problem solving skills, and mathematical reasoning (inclusive of statistical reasoning and algebraic reasoning skills).
5. To design and engage in collaborative activities that equip teacher candidates with the experience to maintain student centered learning environments that is safe, organized, equitable, flexible, inclusive and conducive for the learning of mathematics.
6. To development an appreciation and value for mathematics as a tool for understanding the world.
Transformative thinking and learning through Concept Mapping of Complex Systems
Pre-service teachers had a discussion, group-think-share and collective project on how to build concept maps using systems thinking to build integrative STEM lesson plans for elementary school mathematics and science classes. Eight students collaborated in a discussion and group assignment to design a lesson using climate as the science topic to illustrate the mathematical concepts that can be connected to help elementary students learn mathematics as system within science. We examined an article first on the ideas of STEM integration and why mathematics is the least likely to be fully integrated.
Mathematics is system, but often it's taught in elementary schools as disconnected from other real world problems and disconnected from other systems. I wanted teachers to be aware of the real value in teaching and learning mathematics as as part a larger complex system.
My Experience Teaching with InTeGrateMaterials
The module was modified to fit in the scope of teaching and learning of mathematics to pre-service elementary teachers to transform their thinking about mathematics as a subject into thinking about it as a complex system that interacts with other systems.
Relationship of InTeGrate Materials to my Course
The module was implemented three weeks before finals. I wished I had considered the time framework more carefully. The students didn't have enough time to collaborate on all of the different aspects of what this project could introduce. Students had to think about visually mapping out mathematics lessons that are not just skill based but projected based were the skills are illustrated in a way that makes math the central feature, useful and appreciated (valued) as more than just tool for science understanding.
English (2016) stated, "it seems that mathematics learning benefits less than the other disciplines in programs claiming to focus on STEM integration" (pg.1).
Using this quote as the starting point, students were asked to discuss ideas about teaching climate to elementary students and how to integrate the mathematics skills appropriately. The students came up with lessons for 4th grade by examining climate as a system- they created a concept map on what math skills are need to address issues in climate changes. Students were divided into two different groups. The starting point was the article and an elementary climate story book created by UCAR. We examined climate as a system and how they could write lessons that would help 4th grade students understand climate as a system in connection with mathematics.
My lesson plan went as follows:
1. Introduced the article. Set the stage for the reasons why we need integrative learning in elementary school. What is the issue related to mathematics teaching?- pointed out the argument in the article and tied it to systems thinking.
2. Introduced the systems thinking module concept mapping and complex systems. Framed mathematics teaching and learning as a complex system.
3. Looked at examples in the modules and then looked at examples in the fields of teaching, science, and specifically at complex problems that connect science and climate.
4. Introduced the Climate Studies elementary book and asked students to collaborate on how to teach climate as a complex system through the use of mathematics. They had to come up with lesson plans as a group. Then they would present the lessons to each other group.
Assessments
Students had to come up with lesson plans that connect more than a few simple rules and skills based problem applications. They had to think deeper about designing problems and projects that put value on learning mathematics to solve the real world problems. I will do this lesson again as part of the full course. Students have to design and implement lesson plans as part of the course, but those lessons are not necessarily integrative. I want to build a platform for integration at the elementary school teaching level.
Outcomes
One of the goals is to introduce the idea of integrative learning not from a technology and engineering standpoint, but the philosophy of why integrative education is important and should be incorporated early and often. Pre-service elementary teachers need exposure to what is possible and how they can build their own knowledge and lessons to help elementary students learning mathematics and science through authentic problem solving.
Reference:
English, L. (2016)
Stem education K-12 perspectives on integration. International Journal of Stem Education 3(3) p.3-8. DOI 10.1186/s40594-016-Hatheway,R. & Stanitski, D. (2018) What in the world is happening to our climate? Retrieved from https://www.globe.gov/documents/348830/35487706/EGclimate_Final_27April2017.pdf/64cdfba2-ce9f-4660-a4b5-0644c3f0be74