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Education 647

I. Course Title: Early Field Experiences in Teaching Mathematics Grades 6-12

II. Course Number: EDUC 647

III. Credit Hours: 3 credits

IV. Prerequisites: EDEF 600 (or equivalent); EDEF 607 ; admission into the Teacher Education Program

Corequisites: EDUC 557

V. Course Description:

This field experience is taken in conjunction with the methods course EDUC 557 Methods for Mathematics Instruction Grades 6-12. The purpose of early field experiences is to provide teacher candidates with real-world perspectives of teaching, learning, and school community while integrating educational theories with practice. Early field experiences in mathematics provide teacher candidates with opportunities to become acquainted with the classroom and the many roles of the mathematics teacher. Teacher candidates observe, perform non-instructional tasks, and engage in some closely supervised delivery of instruction. Through regularly scheduled seminar sessions, teacher candidates use an academic lens to reflect upon their observations and contributions within the classroom while considering the early field experience’s impact on their future teaching.

VI. Detailed Description of Content of the Course:

During this clinical experience, candidates are placed in a middle/secondary (grades 6-12) mathematics classroom with a certified cooperating teacher. The semester begins with the candidate completing observations of both the teacher and the students, learning about the school culture, and assisting the teacher as needed with day-to-day classroom tasks. As the semester progresses the candidate is given additional instructional responsibilities with students – individually and in small and large groups. The candidate also takes pedagogy classes and completes assignments in their classroom setting throughout the semester, culminating in a multi-day, candidate-designed instructional sequence. During this time, the candidate teaches and assesses an instructional unit of study that they have planned. Candidates’ practices will utilize the Virginia Department of Education standards and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Council for the Accreditation of Educational Programs standards for planning and instruction.

Weekly seminars are scheduled to enhance the professional development of candidates enrolled in this field experience and include, but are not limited to the following topics:

Classroom Management
Teaching Diverse Learners
Professional growth, reflection, and evaluation
Communicating with Families
Professional Behaviors
Applications of Instructional Planning, Pedagogy, and Assessment

VI. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course:

EDUC 647 is a clinical experience which involves the students in a 6-12 mathematics classroom placement. Students work with approved clinical faculty teachers and university supervisors. The experience begins with observation and culminates in the teaching of a student-designed instructional unit which is based on the Virginia Standards of Learning and the NCTM CAEP standards. Weekly seminar meetings focus on classroom management, preparation for teaching diverse learners, and the professional development of teacher candidates.

VII. Goals and Objectives of the Course:

Goals, objectives, and assignments address the Virginia Department of Education regulations for preparing middle/secondary (grades 6-12) mathematics educators and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics CAEP Standards for Secondary Initial Teacher Preparation. Candidates successfully completing this course will be able to demonstrate developing knowledge, skills, and dispositions of the following:

Area 1: Understand how to effectively design and implement mathematics instruction

Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to plan lessons and units that incorporate a variety of strategies, differentiated instruction for diverse populations, and mathematics-specific and instructional technologies in building all students’ conceptual understanding and procedural proficiency.
Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to plan and create developmentally appropriate, sequential, and challenging learning opportunities grounded in mathematics education research in which students are actively engaged in building new knowledge from prior knowledge and experiences.
Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to provide students with opportunities to communicate about mathematics and make connections among mathematics, other content areas, everyday life, and the workplace.
Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to apply mathematical content and pedagogical knowledge to select, adapt, evaluate, and use instructional tools such as manipulatives and physical models, drawings, virtual manipulatives and environments, spreadsheets, presentation tools, and mathematics-specific technologies (e.g., calculators, graphing utilities, dynamic geometry software, computer algebra systems, and statistical packages); and make sound decisions about when such tools enhance teaching and learning, recognizing both the insights to be gained and possible limitations of such tools.
Candidates will begin to implement techniques related to student engagement and communication including selecting high quality tasks, guiding mathematical discussions, identifying key mathematical ideas, identifying and addressing student misconceptions, and employing a range of questioning strategies.

Area 2: Assess student learning and understanding

Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to use various strategies and means for managing, assessing, and monitoring student learning, including diagnosing student errors.
Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to assess secondary students demonstration of their conceptual understanding; procedural fluency; the ability to formulate, represent, and solve problems; logical reasoning and continuous reflection on that reasoning; productive disposition toward mathematics; and the application of mathematics in a variety of contexts.
Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to collect, organize, analyze, and reflect on diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment evidence and determine the extent to which students’ mathematical proficiencies have increased as a result of their instruction and use the evidence to inform ongoing planning and instruction, as well as to understand and help students understand their own progress and growth.
Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to plan, select, implement, interpret, and use formative and summative assessments to inform instruction by reflecting on mathematical proficiencies essential for all students.
Candidates will develop their abilities to monitor students’ progress, make instructional decisions, and measure students’ mathematical understanding and ability using formative and summative assessments.

Area 3: Meet the diverse needs of learners to engage them in mathematical thinking and activities.

Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to use research-based strategies to teach mathematics to diverse adolescent learners and use instructional practices that are sensitive to culturally and linguistically diverse learners, including English learners, gifted and talented students, and students with disabilities.
Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to incorporate knowledge of individual differences and the cultural and language diversity that exists within classrooms and include culturally relevant perspectives as a means to motivate and engage students.
Candidates will begin to demonstrate equitable and ethical treatment of, and high expectations for all students

Area 4: Communication & Professional Development

Candidates will begin to take an active role in their professional growth by participating in professional development experiences that directly relate to the learning and teaching of mathematics.
Candidates will begin to develop their understanding of, and abilities to select, adapt, evaluate and use instructional resources from professional mathematics education organizations such as print, digital, and virtual resources/collections.
Candidates will begin to develop their abilities to improve communication between schools and families and ways of increasing family engagement in student learning at home, in school and with the Virginia Standards of Learning.

VIII. Assessment Measures:

Assessment of teaching in the early field experience is both formative and summative and is collaboratively completed by the classroom teacher and University faculty. Evaluation is based upon the INTASC Standards for Beginning Teachers which are embedded in the Teacher Candidate Evaluation forms.

Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Lesson Plan Assessment
Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Impact on Student Learning
Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Professional Characteristics and Dispositions form
Key CAEP Performance Assessment: Teacher Candidate Evaluation form

In addition to the assessments above, Teacher Candidates will be assessed using other measures including, but not limited to:

Reflective Journals
Unit Plan
Focused Observation Assignments
Class Participation
Article Critiques

Other Course Information

Graded A-C (+/-).

Review and Approval

March 01, 2021