Anne Brown (left), associate professor of mathematics education, and Paulette Zizzo, lecturer in mathematics.
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How are math problems solved? Most people know some of the rules but not the why and how of problem-solving.
Anne Brown, an associate professor of mathematics education at IU South Bend, and Paulette Zizzo, a lecturer in mathematics, are working on the “why and how” with 28 local middle-school teachers.
Brown and Zizzo received at $91,000, two-year grant from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education for their “Math Proficiency through Inquiry Based Teaching and Learning” project. The goal of the program is to help current teachers move toward being mathematics specialists. The ultimate result will be to help middle-school students meet the requirements of the Indiana Academic Standards for Mathematics.
The program started last summer with a workshop on student-centered curricula. “It is more interactive than a lecture only,” Zizzo said. For example, the teachers were introduced to a fraction problem illustrated as 17 submarine sandwiches—for a picnic with 22 children.
“The class is embedded in the real world” Zizzo said. The method of teaching “deepens the teachers’ knowledge of math.” The work continues with ongoing discussions and a Web site for the teachers to post lesson plans and ideas on teaching. The “virtual teachers lounge” gives the participants feedback and different perspectives.
“The communication is wonderful. This class is by far the best I’ve ever had. These are tools I can take directly to my classroom,” said Sara Smith, a seventh-grade teacher from Elkhart.
“First of all, the workshop and discussions are great,” said Linda Nalepinski, a South Bend teacher. “We’ve met colleagues to share ideas on teaching. Brown and Zizzo are wonderful professors. The program has opened doors, and you question yourself about how you learned and how you teach.”
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