Department of Mathematics

some math pictures
Math 375: Filed Study Course for Secondary Education

Prerequisites

Math 301 or consent of instructor. Completion of Tuberculosis test and fingerprinting requirements for work in the public schools.

Bulletin Description

This course provides the opportunity for students to relate the mathematics they are learning to the teaching and learning of mathematics at the middle and high school levels and at the same time fulfill the 45-hour field experience requirement for prospective teachers.

Course Objectives

This course designed for mathematics majors who are considering teaching math at the middle or high school level. Students will have the opportunity to learn what it is like to be a teacher, to see firsthand the challenges teachers encounter, to work with middle or high school students from a variety of cultures, and to learn and try out research-based methods for teaching mathematics. The course will create a community of undergraduate math students who can support each other as they learn about teaching in the public schools. As part of the course, students will complete the 45 hours of preliminary field experience, which is required for admission to California credential programs.

Evaluation of Students

Grades will be based on weekly responses to assigned readings and reports on student responses to specific ideas to be used in their assigned classrooms, group planned lessons, oral reports on class work, a midterm report on their field experience, and a final summary describing their experience and what they learned from it.

Course Outline

Topics Number of Weeks
Cultural differences and preferences in learning mathematics Community building in the classroom 3
Problem Solving and its central role in teaching and learning mathematics 3
Connections between mathematical topics at the 7-12 level and sorting out the big mathematical ideas 3
Inquiry based learning and construction of understanding 3
Structuring mathematics lessons for secondary students 3
SF State Home