Mathematics - Secondary Education

Department of Mathematics, College of Science and Engineering

“Mathematics reveals hidden patterns that help us understand the world around us. Now much more than arithmetic and geometry, mathematics today is a diverse discipline that deals with data, measurements, and observations from science; with inference, deduction, and proof; and with mathematical models of natural phenomena, of human behavior, and of social systems.

As a practical matter, Mathematics is a science of pattern and order. Its domain is not molecules or cells, but numbers, chance, form, algorithms, and change. As a science of abstract objects, Mathematics relies on logic rather than on observation as its standard of truth, yet employs observation, simulation, and even experimentation as means of discovering truth.” From: Everybody Counts: A Report to the Nation on the Future of Mathematics Education (c) 1989 National Academy of Sciences.

This major must be accompanied by the professional preparation program in secondary education offered through Woodring College of Education.

Teaching Mathematics is a challenge, a responsibility, and an opportunity. Learning to teach Mathematics occurs through a variety of means: the study of a wide variety of Mathematics, pedagogical preparation within a mathematical context, formal clinical preparation in education, an extended internship, and continual experiences as a student, learner, and problem solver in Mathematics.

Everyone aspiring to be a Mathematics teacher is aware of the demand for qualified teachers at the secondary level, but there is an even greater need for quality Mathematics teachers—teachers who care about both students and Mathematics, teachers who have a broad and deep understanding of Mathematics, and teachers who are thoroughly professional. The responsibilities are great, but the rewards are even greater.

As a prospective teacher you need to focus on expanding your personal understanding of Mathematics and capitalizing on opportunities to work with pre-college students as a tutor, as a classroom assistant, as a practicum student, and as a novice teacher in your internship. Are you up for it?