1. Studying Effects of Team Teaching Presented by: Mo Pak Melinda Ramos

2. What is traditional teaching? An approach to teaching in which computation is the driving mathematical force Students often do not understand many concepts or why procedures work, but they only focus on how to perform mathematical computations

3. Traditional is Obsolete “The system of traditional education can be a threat that inhibits higher levels of learning.” (Renate Nummela Caine, Prof of Education at California State University) When computation is emphasized in a mathematics classroom, students turn away from it because it causes math anxiety in many of them. (Keith Devlin, Prof of Math at St. Mary’s College of California) The traditional approach to teaching math is “a curriculum that is seriously damaging the mathematical health of our children.” (Michael Battista, Prof of Math Education at Kent State University)

4. Students Learn Best When… …they are in a community, follow their own interests, & are constantly challenged (Caine) …they are actively engaged in learning; they create, interpret, & reorganize knowledge in their own ways (Windschitl, Asst. Prof of curriculum & instruction in the College of Education, Univ of Washington, Seattle) …they connect math, its ideas, & its applications (NCTM goal)

5. Constructivist Model Student centered; Students are responsible for their own learning In this classroom, there never ceases to exist questioning & analysis; both students & teachers constantly seek to discover answers to their questions, resulting in students & teachers learning together.

6. A Call For Reform Many researchers & educators, including the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) have called for a move away from the traditional methods of teaching. We need to throw out the “mathematics-as-computation” driven curriculum & replace it with one in which students obtain a good understanding of mathematical concepts & are able to think through problems.

7. What’s Necessary For Change Teach teachers math in the reformed method, so they become familiar with it Teachers must believe in the reformed method of teaching math Give teachers better understanding of math concepts

8. Reform at UTEP Math & Education Prof at UTEP are trying to implement some aspects of this constructivist teaching, in particular, Team Teaching

9. Team Teaching Method MethodMath Pedagogy Micro-lessons Rehearsals Teaching instructor

10. Rationale behind Team Teaching Majority of pre-service teachers come into math courses with low self-esteem, negative attitudes, & the fear of the subject The fear & low self esteem they have towards math negatively affects their abilities to learn & think mathematically This results in low confidence in their ability to do math

11. Goals of Team Teaching Enhance pre-service teachers’ math knowledge by making positive changes on students’ attitude towards & perception of math Pre-service teachers with enhanced content knowledge & higher confidence will portray this in their future classrooms, resulting in a positive attitude in math in their students, which may increase the # of students majoring in math Positive attitudes towards math will result in an increase in motivation & confidence to learn & think mathematically

12. Purpose of Our Research Investigate the effects of a team-teaching approach on pre- service teachers’ perception of math & their performance in math. The study involves answering the following questions: 1. What kinds of changes does a team-teaching approach to learning math have on students’ (pre-service teachers) perception of math? 3. Which aspects of team-teaching are affecting students’ perception of math? 2. If there are changes in students’ perception of math, do these changes reflect on students’ ability to think mathematically?

13. Subjects Pre-Service teachers – education majors at UTEP in their last year or coursework enrolled in math & education courses under a team-teaching approach

14. Methods Examining students’ coursework as well as surveys, tests, & video clips of the classroom These surveys have helped us examine whether or not students’ thinking has changed throughout the year So far we have just analyzed surveys (given at the beginning & end of the semester) that reflect students’ opinions of math

15. Sample Surveys What is Math Samples Picture Representation Samples

16. Organizing/Analyzing Data What is Math? Info Card 3 Info Card 4 Info Card 5 Info Card 6 Pictures Pre-Survey (Info Card 6)

17. Graphs What is Math? Pre-Survey Post-Survey Combined Pre/Post Picture Pre-Survey Post-Survey Combined Pre/Post Mo’s Post Picture Combined Post/Post

18. Thanks for coming!! End of Presentation!!