Composite of Recent Graduates
Student A
Background: M.A. in Mathematics; 3 years high school mathematics teaching
Educational Goal: Ph.D. with specialization in K-12 mathematics education and a double minor in Mathematics.
Career Goal: Mathematics education professor at a major research university. Responsibility for teaching mathematics content courses for prospective teachers and mathematics education courses for prospective teachers at either the elementary or the secondary level. Research on how mathematics is applied in work settings and on differences between school and out-of-school mathematics thinking.
Student A was able to transfer five mathematics courses from her master's degree and took five additional mathematics courses at IU. Her mathematics education major included four doctoral seminars in mathematics education, two seminars on general curriculum issues, a course in using computers to teach mathematics and two independent studies in mathematics education. Supplemental coursework included courses in adolescent development, learning theories, and the history of American education.
Student A's interest in out-of-school application of mathematical thinking led her to a dissertation on the mathematics used in carpet laying.She worked with carpet installers to understand how they estimated the amount of carpet needed, particularly for irregularly shaped rooms and areas.Included in the write-up of her observations were comparisons between the problem-solving heuristics used by carpet installers and the limited procedural skills usually taught in chapters on area and perimeter in middle school mathematics textbooks.
To support herself while in school, Student A worked as a teaching assistant in the mathematics department for two years, worked on a funded project to develop a new mathematics course for elementary teachers for one year, and spent her final year as an editorial assistant for the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education.
Student B
Background: M.S. in mathematics education; 7 years of high school mathematics teaching
Educational Goal: Ph.D. with specialization in k-12 mathematics education and a double minor in mathematics.
Career Goal: Mathematics Education Professor in a small college mathematics department.Responsibility for teaching various mathematics courses for all majors, as well as mathematics and mathematics methods for prospective elementary and secondary reachers.
Student B completed a double minor in mathematics by taking 30 credits of graduate-level courses(400-level or above).He also took five courses (15 credits) in graduate level computer science.Some of his mathematics education credits were earned by doing an internship supervising the early field experience for undergraduate elementary education majors.He wanted to gain experience in working with such students because he knew that teaching mathematics courses for elementary education majors is often an assignment for mathematics education professors.Student B also did internship in which he assisted in a secondary mathematics methods class, and he took a number of seminars and independent studies (for example, in problem solving, mathematical thinking, and instructional computing--areas of mathematics education that he chose to enhance his professional background). In Student B's dissertation he investigated the effect of computer-delivered student-paced instruction on the achievement of college students enrolled in a finite mathematics course.
Student B supported himself throughout his studies by teaching as an Associate Instructor in the Mathematics Department, where he taught mathematics for elementary teachers and by working as a graduate assistant for the School of Education Research and Development Office.
Student C
Background: B.A. and M.S. in elementary education; 18 credits in mathematics at the undergraduate level, 5 years teaching experience at the elementary level, with the last three of those focusing on mathematics and computer instruction.
Educational Goal: Ph.D. with specialization in K-8 mathematics and minors in elementary education and instructional Computing.
Career Goal: K-8 school district mathematics curriculum specialist or college professor involved in research and teacher education in the education department of a college or university.
Despite her modest background in mathematics, Student C had a strong interest in how children learn mathematics and in innovative mathematics teaching at the elementary and middle school levels. In addition to four doctoral seminars in mathematics education, Student C completed an internship working with an instructor of an elementary mathematics methods course.She took three courses on learning and child development as well as a course on individualizing instruction and on curriculum theory. For her minor in elementary education, she completed courses in general elementary curriculum and in curriculum and teaching for pre-school children. To complete her minor in instructional computing, she took courses in software use, software development, web design and computer aided learning.Her dissertation focused on how seventh-grade students learned ratio in a cooperative group setting, and how student-to-student interaction changed during the course of the ratio unit.
To support herself, Student C supervised field experiences for elementary education majors, worked as mathematics a resource teacher in local elementary schools (as part of a funded project), and did tutoring for supplemental income.