This makes our classrooms look different. It is unusual to see a professor lecturing -- rather they are circulating among the students, who are sitting at tables, working in groups on engaging, open ended problems. As Char Beckmann asks, "Who is active?" Because the active one in the classroom is the person learning. If it's the professor, that's trouble. This makes math a very different experience, accesible to all students, and... dare we say it?... fun! This is very much in line with the Standards and Principles of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics .

We teach Math 221 and 222 for all elementary education students. Frankly, many of these students would admit that they are not the fondest of math. (Perhaps they would put it even more strongly?) Thus, we are honor bound to change their opinion of math by getting them involved in hands-on work. These courses have been extensively revised by our faculty, led by Jan Shroyer, to be in line with the latest research-based educational methods. Math 222 includes a diagnosis and tutoring experience in area schools.

We teach Math 321322 and 323 for elementary education math majors. These courses delve more deeply into the topics introduced in 221 and 222, plus much greater mathematical and pedagogical development. Here there is much more field experience, and we learn about problem, lesson and unit planning in addition to strong mathematics content and exposure to standards-based curricula. Students also read more challenging articles by education researchers, and try to see how these would apply in practice.

We teach Math 229 and 329 for secondary education math majors and minors. This course explores cooperative education and teaching technology through the perspective of functions, and in the context of 20 hours of active classroom observation. We are also involved in the supervision of secondary teaching assistants through a weekly seminar.

For the master's education program, we teach Ed 630. This is a crash course in the methods explored more completely in 221 and 222, with additional content geared towards the practicing teacher who is the typical Ed 630 student. More graduate courses are in development, possibly emphasizing math in the middle school context.

The faculty which teach these courses are also actively involved in research and participate in several grant projects. We can often be found in area schools, working with teachers and students. This is vital to keep our classes realistic and practical, to give our education students the best possible preparation for their future teaching.