Virginia Mathematics Teacher Spring 2017

Educational Opportunities for Virginia Mathematics Teachers

students. They collaboratively plan, implement, and reflect on their lessons with these at-risk students. The effectiveness of the program is demonstrated by its students. In the past 10 years, 47 PSTs have received Noyce scholarships, seven PSTs have received VCTM scholarships, dozens of graduates have presented at VCTM conferences, and several have been honored as teacher of the year by their school districts. In general, graduates have earned reputations as teachers with strong knowledge of content, pedagogy, and technology. They represent Virginia Tech well, as indicated by the following quote from an assistant principal whose school district has hired four graduates: “I am convinced that you are doing among the best work in the nation in preparing future math educators. I was a Maryland Terrapin for undergrad, and a Virginia Cavalier for my administration degree, so I do not say this lightly.” More information about Virginia Tech’s secondary mathematics education program can be found here: http://www.mathed.soe.vt.edu/

Each Spring issue we will feature an outstanding program designed for mathematics teachers within the Commonwealth. We will discuss the nature of the program, specific details and its history. Master’s in Education with Concentration in Mathematics Education Virginia Polytechnic and State University - Graduation rate : 100% - 46 hours fully synchronous graduate courses - Average Enrollment of 12 students per year - Number of field experiences: 3 Virginia Tech’s secondary mathematics education program relies on a partnership between the School of Education and the Department of Mathematics. Pre-service teachers (PSTs) begin the five-year program as mathematics majors and graduate with MAEd degrees. Faculty work across departments to ensure PSTs develop the knowledge they need to become effective mathematics teachers. The mathematics degree builds from PSTs’ general mathematics knowledge to support their development of specialized content knowledge. This effort culminates in a six-hour, 4000-level sequence entitled “Mathematics for Secondary School Mathematics Teachers.” The MAEd builds from there to support the development of pedagogical content knowledge. As one special feature of the program, secondary mathematics pre-service teachers partner with the secondary language pre-service teachers for a service learning experience working with English Language learners and struggling Facts and Statistics:

Anderson Norton Professor Virginia Tech norton3@vt.edu

Virginia Mathematics Teacher vol. 43, no. 2

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