Mathematics Professional Development Institute

Mathematics Professional Development Institute (Wu Summer Institute)

July 21, 2008 - August 08, 2008

Registration Deadline:	March 01, 2008 over 16 years ago

Parent Program:	--
Location:	MSRI, Baker Board Room

Organizers

Dr. Hung-Hsi Wu (UC Berkeley), Kay Kirman and Hana Huang (Miraloma Elementary School, SF), and Dr. Sunil Koswatta (Harper College)

Description

Directions to MSRI This three-week course in elementary mathematics directly addresses the mathematics needed for teaching Number Sense in K-7 classrooms. Approximately four hours each day will be devoted to lectures and seat work on the mathematics of whole numbers, fractions, and rational numbers. 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 yeilds 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. There will be five follow up sessions during the following academic year. The Institute will help you appreciate the importance of definitions, precision, and logical resoning and why they will greatly assist you with your teaching. For example, when fractions and decimals are presented but not defined, students and teachers alike are forced to learn to manipulate these numbers without knowing what they are. Or, if it is not explained why a/b times c/d is ac/bd, then it would beg the question of why not (a/b) + (c/d) = (a+c)/(b+d). The Institute requires daily homework assignments - including reading and problem solving - to help with the acquisition of skills and deepen conceptual understanding of the mathematics for the school classroom. Homework support groups make up part of the afternoon small group sessions. The 5 Saturday Follow-UP Sessions during the 2008/2009 school year offer participants the chance to share results, discuss strategies of incorporating their new knowledge into their teaching, and further extend their own understanding through additional activities and lectures. Participants should have a strong interest and background in mathematics as well as the experienece of having taught at least one year of 4th, 5th, 6th, and/or 7th grades. Preference goes to Bay Area 4th - 7th grade teachers who apply as a school team of at least 2 teachers. (The session is open to K-3 and high school teachers if space is available.) Remuneration of $100 per day is paid to teachers who commit to all fifteen days of the summer institute. In order to apply, please complete the registration form. For more information: Questions about this workshop should be sent either by email to 456@msri.org or by regular mail to: Wu Summer Institute Mathematical Sciences Research Institute 17 Gauss Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-5070. USA

Primary Mathematics Subject Classification No Primary AMS MSC

Secondary Mathematics Subject Classification No Secondary AMS MSC