EDC 385G: Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science

Fall 2005

Required Materials:                  

Course Packet. Available from IT Copy on MLK.

Additional readings and materials will be provided in class and/or on the course website.

Additional Requirements:

Students must use a word processor and e-mail, and have access to a web browser.

Description:

The goal of this course is to develop a powerful tool kit of approaches to knowing and learning in mathematics and science. This course focuses on issues of what it means to learn and know science and mathematics. Some of the questions that will be addressed in the course include: What are the standards for knowing we will use? How is knowing and learning structured and how does what we know change and develop? For the science and mathematics educator, what are the tensions between general, cross-disciplinary characterizations of knowing (e.g., intelligence) and the specifics of coming to understand powerful ideas in mathematics and science? What are the links between knowing and developing in learning theory, and the content and evolution of scientific ideas? What are the connections between kinds of assessments and theories of knowing? How are various uses of technology associated with specific approaches to learning?

Tentative Course Schedule

Week 1: Course Introduction

Week 2: Nature vs. Nurture

Week 3: Measurement and Assessment

Week 4: Biological and Behavioral Perspectives

Week 5: Multiple Intelligences and the Cognitive Revolution

Week 6: Piaget, Constructivists and Piagetian Perspectives

Week 7: Academist Perspectivs

Week 8: Human constructivists

Week 9: Children’s Ideas in Math and Science

Week 10: Effective Teaching in Math and Science

Week 11: Problem Solving and Math and Science in Everyday Practice

Week 12: Literacy and Agency

Week 13: Classrooms as Complex Systems: Models and Modeling in Math and Science

Week 14:  TBA

Grading Policy

Participation 30%

-         Leading class discussion & presentation of topic 15%

-         Attendance & in-class participation

Assignments 30%

-         Clinical interview 15%

-         Group problem-solving session (MEA Assignment ) 15%

Final Project 30%

(Mini-research project- Literature review connected to one of the above projects)

Annotated bibliography 10%

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

1. Students are to attend each class session and participate in discussions of the assigned readings. It is assumed that the assignments will have been carefully and thoughtfully read prior to class.

2. Students are to lead one class discussion of the class readings. This will involve preparing questions to be discussed, preparing materials and preparing and presenting critiques of the assigned papers.

3. Students are to keep an annotated bibliography of the readings they do for class. This should include the assigned readings and other readings related to mathematics education. The bibliography may be in any form that will be useful to the student as (s)he continues to study mathematics education. Personally, I would recommend students to purchase a software called Endnote (www.endnote.com), which allows a complete organization of references, and also aids in formatting these resources with different styles (including APA 5^th, which is the most common format in our field. Nevertheless, it is not required (only suggested) that students purchase such software.

4. Students are to write a 15-page literature review (not counting references) relevant to one of either projects: the clinical interview or the group problem-solving session. Guidelines for these projects can be found online (on Blackboard). Together with the report on the project, this will complete a mini-research write-up as a Final Project.