The aim of the Circle for Teachers is to equip educators with an effective problem-solving approach to teaching mathematics.

Teaching Undergraduates Mathematics will be the sixth in a series of Critical Issues in Education workshops hosted by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in Berkeley, CA. Whereas previous workshops focused on K-12 education and teacher education, this workshop will focus on undergraduate education.

This three-week course in elementary mathematics directly addresses the mathematics needed for teaching Number Sense in K-7 classrooms. It develops whole numbers and fractions from the beginning, with an excursion into some elementary number theory about divisibility properties of whole numbers and the algorithm that yields the HCF of two numbers. Each day begins with mathematics lectures by a Berkeley mathematician and concludes with small group sessions guided by MPDI graduates.

For over two decades, the teaching and learning of algebra has been a focus of mathematics education at the precollege level. This workshop will examine issues in algebra education at two critical points in the continuum from elementary school to undergraduate studies: at the transitions from arithmetic to algebra and from high school to university. In addition, the workshop will involve participants in discussions about various ways to structure an algebra curriculum across the entire K-12 curriculum.

Building on the issues investigated in these previous workshops, this workshop will focus concretely on courses, programs and materials that aim to increase teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching. Both courses and programs that lead to initial certification and professional development of current teachers will be examined at the workshop. In addition, the workshop will examine efforts by colleges, universities, school districts, professional organizations and funding agencies to support people who teach these courses or lead these workshops.

Using Math to Teach Math (PDF 5.5MB) Second conference in the MSRI series "Critical Issues in Mathematics Education" This workshop will be held at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, California. The conference takes as a premise that improving students’ mathematics learning depends on improving mathematics teaching, for which teachers’ knowledge of mathematics is a key factor. It will bring together different groups for whom issues of teachers’ mathematical knowledge are of critical concern, and explore current perspectives, evidence, and programs. Three questions structure its highly interactive design: 1. Why should K-8 teachers know mathematics? 2. What is the nature of the knowledge of mathematics needed for effective teaching? 3. What can mathematics departments and schools of education do to help teachers develop such knowledge? The conference will foster productive partnerships among research mathematicians, mathematics educators, educational researchers, teachers of school mathematics, and policymakers that will support them in their efforts. This conference is made possible by generous support from The National Science Foundation (www.nsf.gov), MfA Math for America(www.mathforamerica.org),Texas Instruments (www.ti.com). Noyce Foundation, and Center for Proficiency in Teaching Mathematics