Courses - Summer 08

Click here for Middle School / Elementary courses
Click here for Secondary Courses


Middle School Math Endorsement classes for Summer 2008

from the c(m+s)i - Chicago Math and Science Initiative


MthT 470 - Teaching Mathematics with Science: An Activity Approach I
4 graduate credit hours
Professor John Myron Masley, jmmasley@uic.edu, 312-413-1187
Introduction to basic variables (length, area, volume, mass, time) and the Scientific Method (picture, table, graph, questions). Extensive use of TIMS (Teaching Integrated Math and Science) project curriculum. This course will have participants experience and prepare for various lab activities and analyses designed for elementary and middle school grades. Emphasis will be on methods important to successfully implement these experiments in a K-8 classroom. The essence of modern science, as it is practiced by scientists, is to understand the relationships among variables such as length, area, volume, mass, and time. Mathematical tools accessible to students to investigate these relationships will be demonstrated, used, and discussed relative to the lab activities. Activities will be selected from the topic areas such as
  • Classification
  • Frequency Distribution
  • Length
  • Area
  • Volume
  • Mass
  • Time
  • Velocity
  • Acceleration
  • Density
  • Force
  • Inertia
  • Work
  • Energy

4:30-7:30 Tuesdays May 13, May 20, May 27, June 3, June 10
2-5 TR June 17,19,24,26; July 1,8,10,15,17,22
Course location: 2087SEL

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MthT 565 - Teaching Geometry: An Activity Approach
4 graduate credit hours
Prof Avrum Israel Weinzweig
This course will focus on the concepts of geometry involved in the Elementary School curriculum. The emphasis will be on activities to involve students in explorations leading to a deeper understanding of the concepts involved. It has been said "A picture is worth a thousand words". But this is true only if one can "read" a picture. We will involve the participants in a variety of activities that greatly improve spatial visualization. Connections to the classroom will be discussed. The thrust of the course will be to help teachers help students to understand the geometry they are studying in their classrooms.

4-7 Thursdays May 22, May 29, June 5, June 12
2-5 MWF: June 16,18,20,23,25,27; July 2,7,9,11,14
Course Location: please request 600SEO

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MthT 575 - Teaching Statistics and Probability in the Middle Grades
4 graduate credit hours
Prof Steve Jordan
Our students want to know :
  • "What is a typical allowance in 8th grade?" "What is really unusual?"
  • "Is my teacher picking on the boys unfairly?"
  • "Who was the best ball player?"
  • "Are faster cars more expensive?"
  • "What are the most dangerous activities for teenagers?"
  • "What is the probability that it will rain three days this week?"
  • "Where did they get that fact in the magazine?"
We will examine questions like those. The class in teaching probability and statistics will be focused on a carefully planned sequence of classroom activities that help students develop their statistical intuition and techniques. The approach will be through "simulations" - using spinners, dice, random number generators, etc.

We will explore the main aspects of statistics:
  • Designing a survey or experiment
  • Collecting data - what are the complications? What are good sources of data for student projects?
  • Graphical display - and the importance of visual clues
  • Statistical analysis - measures of central tendency, variation, outliers. We will see that there is much more interesting here than mean, median, and mode.
  • Decision-making - Making informed decisions based upon the statistical evidence, and your own sense of values.

This class is designed for classroom teachers - there are no specific prerequisites in statistics or technology. Participants will become fluent in the uses of the TI-84+ as tool for teaching statistics. Calculators will be available for teachers to borrow during the course.
The course will use many of the activities in the Quantitative Literacy Series published by Pearson: Exploring Data, Exploring Probability, the Art and Techniques of Simulation. These NSF-sponsored activities were fundamental in developing the new standards-based approach to statistical education.

4-7pm Wednesdays May 14, May 21, May 28, June 4, June 11
5-8pm Mon and Wed June 16,18,23,25,30; July 2,7,9,14,16
Course Location: please request 600 SEO

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Secondary courses for Summer 2008

MTHT 490 Topics in Teaching Secondary Mathematics - History of Math
4 graduate credit hours
Professor William A. Howard

Dates:
Thursdays 5 pm - 8pm - May 15, 22, 29; June 5, 12
Mondays and Wednesdays 2pm - 5pm - June 16, 18,23,25, 30; July 2, 7, 9, 14, 16

Location:
TBD

Textbook: Carl Boyer, A History of Mathematics (2nd ed., 1991).

Course Description:
The UIC Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics is proud to offer MTHT 490, Topics in Teaching Secondary Mathematics: History of Math. This course will examine mathematical topics and prominent mathematicians from 1700 BC to 1700 AD. Emphasis will be placed, not on technique, but on the historical development of mathematics and the implications on the discipline. Significant developments from 1700 AD to the present will also be incorporated into course discussions.

Who should enroll?
High school teachers of mathematics

Tuition and Fees
$325 per credit hour, plus $15 per credit hour administrative fee (nonrefundable)

ENROLLMENT DEADLINE
Enrollment deadline is Thursday, May 1, 2008

How to Enroll
For details on how to enroll, please visit the Office of Continuing Education website or contact us by email or (312) 996-8025.

Course Content

Egyptians and Babylonian Chap. 1-3 5 hrs
Greeks, 600 BC to 300 BC: from Pythagoras to Euclid Chap. 4-7 7 hrs
Hellenistic Mathematics: 300 BC to 600 AD, especially Archimedes, Ptolemy, Diophantus Chap. 5-11 10 hrs
India, Arabs, Europe, 600-1200: Brahmagupta, Al-Khwarizmi, Fibonacci Chap. 12-14 6 hrs
Europe, 1200-1600: Cardan, Copernicus, Galileo Chap. 15-16 5 hrs
Europe, 1600-1700: Napier, Descartes, Pascal, Fermat, Newton, Leibniz Chap. 17-19 12 hrs