EDMS 474 — TEACHING MATHEMATICS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS — Spring 2005

Dr. Kathy Morris
Stevenson 3025
664-3266
/ Ms. Joan Easterday
Sonoma County Office of Education
524-2852
/ Ms. Laurie Sealy
292-0096

Section 1: Mondays, 1:00-3:40, Salazar 2022
Section 2: Mondays, 4:00-6:40, Salazar 2022 / Section 5: Wednesdays, 7:00-9:40, Salazar 2022 / Section 4: Thursdays, 4:00-6:40, Salazar 2022
Section 3: Thursdays, 1:00-3:40, Salazar 2022
Office Hours:
Mon. 11:30-12:30 on SSU Campus
Drop in & By appointment / Office Hours:
By appointment / Office Hours:
By appointment

Course description

EDMS 474 is designed to help you learn to teach mathematics, cultivating particular intellectual resources and teaching practices. The course will introduce the subject matter content of elementary school mathematics and effective teaching practices that support all elementary students in learning mathematics. Additionally, the course will provide opportunities to examine and use a wide variety of instructional materials including math manipulatives, children’s literature, supplemental curriculum resources, and technology.

Based on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000) and the California Mathematics Content Standards (1999), the course will focus on the following mathematical content topics: Number and Operations, Measurement, Geometry, Algebra, Data Analysis and Probability. We will also focus on Mathematical processes including: Communication, Reasoning and Proof, Representations, Connections, and Problem Solving.

This course both models and examines a constructivist investigation-based approach to teaching mathematics and offers students hands-on experiences in developing lessons appropriate for the elementary classroom.

Required Course Texts

• Young Mathematicians at Work: Constructing Multiplication and Division

by Catherine Fosnot & Maarten Dolk (Heinemann, 2001)

• Learning Through Problems: Number Sense and Computational Strategies

by Paul Trafton & Diane Theissen (Heinemann, 1999)

• About Teaching Mathematics: A K-8 Resource (2nd Edition)

by Marilyn Burns (Math Solutions Publications, 2000)

• Classroom Discussions: Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn

by Suzanne Chapin & Catherine O’Connor (Math Solutions Publications, 2003)

• Principles and Standards for School Mathematics

by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (available online for a free 90 day access at

there are some hard copies in the bookstore)

• California Content Standards for Mathematics (available online at for online text or

for a pdf version)

Course requirements and gradingPoints possible

• Attendance & Participation 15

• Weekly Assignments 55

• Instructional planning assignment (3 parts- group unit, presentation, and individual lesson plan) 30

A range = 90-100% B range = 80%-89% C range = 70-79%

Note that you must earn a C or better in all required credential courses and you must make up any Incompletes (I) before entering the next phase of the program.

Attendance and Participation Your attendance at each class is mandatory and your active participation is expected. You are expected to have read the weekly reading assignments before class. Engagement in class discussions and activities is a sign of active participation. In this course, many activities take place exclusively during class, for example processing field assignments. Missing class, or arriving late, therefore, means that you are necessarily missing important class content. For this reason, if you miss more than 2 class sessions, it is not possible to earn an A or A- in the course. Extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Furthermore, arriving late or leaving early three times will be counted as one absence. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to obtain notes, materials, and instructions for assignments from other classmates. If you know ahead of time that you will need to miss a class, speak to your instructor as soon as possible and inquire about alternate arrangements.

Instructional Resources Policy

Instructors have large personal collections of instructional resources including children’s literature, curriculum and supplemental curriculum resources, and math manipulatives. You are welcome to borrow these materials for work on course projects or for work in their field placement. Please note, however, that failure to return materials by Dec. 9 in reasonable condition will result in an Incomplete (I) in the course until the materials are returned or have been satisfactorily replaced.

Course Philosophy

Consistent with the Department of Literacy Studies and Elementary Education, this course aims to prepare aspiring teachers to play a vital role in California public schools by supporting all California students to be successful in school mathematics. The harsh reality of mathematics education is that currently our educational institutions produce starkly inequitable results for our students. While issues related to poverty, race, culture, language, and gender are bigger than any single classroom, as teachers what we do can make a difference. Our instructional choices matter because they shape students’ experiences, their sense of themselves as mathematics learners, and their development of their mathematical capacities. Questions such as “how does this lesson promote equity and access?” and “what does this child understand and how can we build upon that in order to support learning?” will permeate this course.

In order to learn to think and act as a mathematics teacher who promotes equity and access for all students, weekly observation and participation in a public elementary classroom during mathematics instruction is an essential component of this course. Marrying theory and practice, these experiences provide an opportunity to think carefully about teaching mathematics with real students in real classrooms. But, this is only the beginning. Learning to be a mathematics teacher is a process that takes place over an entire career. This course aims to set you upon this path and prepare you to continue your own professional growth and development.

Course Objectives

1) To become familiar with the scope and sequence of the content of elementary mathematics in terms of content and processes based on state and national standards, focusing on a balanced approach for teaching conceptual understanding, computational skills, and problem solving.

2) To think critically on how students learn and consider implications of teaching practice and instructional design

3) To carefully observe various aspects of elementary mathematics instruction, including learning environment, student work, use of language, and diversity

4) To increase awareness of techniques meeting the instructional needs of diverse learners in a multicultural society

5) To examine and evaluate instructional text, material and technological resources

6) To develop a repertoire of strategies for assessing student learning

7) To develop strategies for both instruction and classroom management

8) To experience teaching as a collaborative and intellectual process

9) To plan and implement lessons in mathematics that reflect the above objectives.

Technology in the Course

“Technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences the mathematics that is taught and enhances students’ learning” (NCTM, 2000, p. 25). Throughout this course, a variety of technologies including web-based observation, PowerPoint, instruction software, on-line standards documents and other teaching resources, and calculators will be used to support teacher candidates to learn instructional practices which incorporate technology and introduce them to tech-based instructional resources. Completed assignments may become part of the teacher candidates’ digital portfolios.

Accommodation If you have a disability that may require accommodation in this class, you must notify the instructor before the end of the second week of class regarding the nature of the accommodation you need. You must register with the campus Disability Student Services, located in Salazar 1049, 664-2677. DSS will then provide you written documentation of your verified disability and the recommended accommodation, which you must then present to the instructor.