THE DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS
1990s
INTRODUCTION
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) published several documents to influence teacher preparation and improve math curriculum and evaluation. These documents were “Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics,” 1989; “Professional Standard for the Teaching of Mathematics,” 1991; and “Assessment Standards for School Mathematics,” 1995. These three documents called for major changes in what was taught to all students and how it would be taught. They called for a core of mathematics that all students should study, which was beyond what was being taught at the time. They called for three years of rigorous mathematics for all students. Some saw this recommendation as Algebra and Geometry for everyone, which it was, but it went beyond this to include statistics and discrete mathematics topics. The teaching standards focused on changes to how mathematics was taught. Emphasis was placed on a constructivist view of building student knowledge and greater emphasis on applications.
The Malcolm Price Laboratory School mathematics faculty became knowledgeable of all three documents and carried out their professional roles as teachers, developers of curriculum, and leaders of professional groups giving presentations and workshops as service.
The Department of Mathematics teaching faculty during this decade included Megan Balong, Suzanne Buckwalter, Dennis Kettner, James Maltas, Earl Ockenga, Sue (Bock) Runyon, Merrie Schroeder, John Tarr, Lynn Schwandt and Don Wiederanders..
TEACHING
The secondary mathematics program for grades 7-12 at Northern University Junior High School and Northern University High School at MPLS served the needs of learners by presenting mathematics as a useful, exciting, and creative area of study. The program had the following goals for all students:
1) Students will learn to communicate and reason mathematically;
2) Students will make connections among mathematical ideas;
3) Students will develop the ability to confront new problem situations and have tools for solving problems;
4) Students will become confident in their ability to use mathematics, challenged to apply their prior knowledge and experience to new and increasingly more difficult situations.
The 1990s saw two major changes to the high school curriculum. The first was to implement an integrated mathematics curriculum: no more isolated subjects such as algebra and geometry, and all students would study the same topics in the same classroom with differentiation provided for the needs of the more diverse classroom. The second change was to work with the science department and integrate the advanced mathematics and physics courses.
1990s Junior High Mathematics Curriculum
A major emphasis of the junior high program in the 1990s was utilizing the calculator to enrich the teaching of content in junior high textbooks. Time devoted to practicing paper-and-pencil computational skills was decreased and replaced with mental math and estimation practice, providing more time for problem-solving experiences.
PUBLICATIONS
Faculty of the Mathematics Department were productive in responding to the new initiatives of the decade. PLS mathematics faculty supported the university community, local and statewide school districts, and the Department of Defense Education Authority to answer the call for change in mathematics education.
A major publication of this decade involved a faculty member from the Mathematics Department and a PLS Science Department faculty member collaborating to create an Advanced Mathematics/Physics course that required rewriting the curriculum, field testing, and evaluating the lesson materials.
Meeting the Responsibilities for Preparing Teachers,
A Dialogue on Teacher Education Reform: A Collection of Papers
Institute for Educational Leadership, University of Northern Iowa
James Maltas
1991
James Maltas was an invited participant in a two-day conference on teacher education reform sponsored by the Institute for Educational Leadership at the University of Northern Iowa. The conference culminated with the publication of papers written by the participants.
SERVICE
The MPLS mathematics faculty continued to provide leadership in mathematics teaching and curriculum by making presentations, leading workshops, and consulting with school districts, and other educational agencies.
Discrete Mathematics in the Schools
James Maltas
1992-1998
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (NCTM) “Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics included discrete mathematics as one of its curriculum strands. Most of the topics in this strand were not part of the country’s secondary mathematics curriculum. The Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science at Rutgers University established a national working group titled “Discrete Mathematics in the Schools.” This group was composed of university faculty from across the country who taught courses and did research in this field, authors of related textbooks, business representatives in fields that use discrete mathematics topics, and secondary mathematics teachers who had training in discrete mathematics topics and demonstrated an ability to make an impact in the implementation of discrete mathematics in secondary schools. MPLS mathematics faculty member James Maltas was one of the secondary teachers. Maltas had previously participated in a 10-week training institute in discrete mathematics at Illinois State University (1985). Since this training, Maltas had developed a high school discrete mathematics course at West Liberty High School in West Liberty, Iowa. He also developed and presented discrete mathematics workshops at six Area Education Agencies in Iowa and for more than ten high schools in Iowa, along with numerous presentations at local, state, and regional mathematics conferences.
Learning Laboratories Initiative – New Schools Project
North Carolina Department of Education
James Maltas
2008
North Carolina’s Department of Education chose James Maltas to be a member of its Learning Laboratories Initiative advisory and visitation team. The Department sought to identify “model schools” in the state that were successfully making changes in both curriculum and instruction. These designated model schools or “Learning Laboratories” could be visited by other schools nearby and interactions could be initiated. The advisory team set up criteria that potential schools needed to meet. These criteria were sent to potential schools, and those that wished to be designated a model school applied to the Department of Education. After initial screening, twelve schools were chosen for visitation. The visitation team visited each school’s classrooms and talked with administrators, teachers, students, and parents. The team then wrote summaries and evaluations of each school that were sent to the Department of Education where the final decision was made.
STEM in the Afternoon
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