Students examine materials such as Cuisenaire rods and geoboards, which are useful in teaching elementary school mathematics. Effective teaching techniques, such as teaching by inquiry, are demonstrated and discussed. Students examine the basic concepts of number theory with an emphasis on modular systems and their application to a variety of empirical problems. This course investigates mathematical systems and functions. Problem solving, connections, communication, and reasoning will be recurrent themes throughout the course.
Content varies according to the interests of faculty and students.
May be repeated for credit. The first part of this course covers topics from probability and statistics with applications to gambling and game theory. The second part covers graphs, trees, Boolean algebra, and finite state automata. This course provides middle school teachers with a deeper understanding of the real number system. The primary objective of this course is to help students develop reasoning strategies that are powerful tools in solving problems.