notes on declining Math Performance
Changes to UW-Madison’s School of Education math requirements
Steffen Lempp, a math professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says over the last decade, the School of Education has changed how prospective K-8 teachers are taught math content to fully prepare them to teach children in the subject.
The UW-Madison math department used to teach these math content courses. Those courses are now taught by the School of Education, in classes that blend content and pedagogy in one. Lempp feels that short-changes the math content preparation, especially for those teaching math in upper elementary and middle school grades.
“To me, it seemed the middle school teachers are not necessarily really qualified to teach math, because they don’t know the underlying math concepts well enough,” Lempp said.
The elementary education program at UW-Madison requires 60 credits. Those credits include three math courses: Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Elementary Mathematics 1;Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Elementary Mathematics 2; and Teaching Mathematics.
Todd Finkelmeyer, a spokesperson for the School of Education, said two years ago, the school changed the math courses in response to changes in DPI certification requirements.
“The integration was motivated by the need for more coherence in the elementary education program, and what we know from best practice and research (is) that to be a good math teacher, one needs to both understand the content — while also learning how best to convey the math to students,” Finkelmeyer said.
The elementary education math courses are led by math educators from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, with expertise in mathematics and pedagogy, he said.
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