Practicum in Education II: External – EDUC 688

Course Description

This course will explore, develop, and use instructional strategies, technologies, and activities to promote development of attitudes and concepts in mathematics. Emphasis is on mathematical teaching and learning practices anchored in mathematical concepts, diagnostic and assessment methods, and leadership skills.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

This course is intended for mathematics specialists and middle level teachers interested in problems of learning and assessment across K-8 settings in mathematics education.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the candidate will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

The candidate will collaborate in his/her quest to understand how learning mathematics is impacted by one’s attitude related to math self-efficacy, one’s exposure to technological tools and a classroom structured on a personalized approach to instruction, while integrating a biblical worldview. Each Discussion will be completed in 2 parts: a thread addressing the instructor’s prompt and 2 replies to classmates’ threads. The thread must be at least 300 words and the replies must be at least 150 words each. Each thread must include, at minimum, a reference to the course textbook in current APA format. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F)

Chapter Review Assignment

The candidate will analyze the faciliatory approach to mathematics teaching and demonstrate how this practice may impact the candidate’s current/future teaching assignment in a 1,000-word, fully developed summary that demonstrates academic writing using current APA style. (CLO: A, C, D, E)

Article Critique Assignments (2)

The candidate will develop an understanding of current research related to mathematics teaching practices: student talk in the mathematics classroom, professional development for mathematics teachers, the problem-solving approach to teaching mathematics and/or teacher expectations and its effect on student learning. The candidate will write a 300-word critique of each article using current APA format. (CLO: A, B, D, E)

Mathematics Game or Activity Assignment

The candidate will explore the usage of games in the mathematics classroom as an engaging way for students to get the frequent practice required to build strong mental arithmetic skills and fact power. (CLO: A, B, D, E)

Lesson Plan Assignments (2)

The candidate will develop lesson plans in a provided template that utilize research-based practices in remediating identified areas of student struggle. The candidate will understand how a well-designed lesson plan can be used to guide the learning process. (CLO: A, B, D, E)

Case Study Assignments (2)

The candidate will analyze and evaluate student mathematics errors and will research best practices for remediating identified error types. The candidate will write a current APA-formatted report responding to the prompts for each case study. Papers must be at least 600 words and must include proper headings and subheadings. (CLO: A, B, D, E)

Explanatory Essay Assignments (2)

The candidate will discuss in a double-spaced paper of at least 1,000 words: the importance of a student-centered learning environment and how Response to Intervention can be utilized in his/her efforts to support struggling learners in the regular education setting. The essays must be in current APA format. (CLO: B, C, D, E)