14 - Probability and Statistics for Prospective Middle Grades Teachers

Summary

Introduction

No reform of mathematics education is possible unless it begins with revitalization of undergraduate mathematics in both curriculum and teaching style.

—National Research Council, [10]

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO) is a comprehensive state university with approximately 11,000 undergraduate and 1000 graduate students. Elementary education is one of the largest majors at UWO, serving almost 1000 students. All elementary education majors at UWO (with the exception of special education majors) are required to complete three 3-credit mathematics content courses: Number Systems, Geometry and Measurement, and Data Exploration and Analysis. We prepare middle school teachers from this population by providing a middle school mathematics minor. Currently (fall 2010), 86 students are enrolled in the minor, more than one third of the Mathematics Department's total major and minor enrollment. Students in it take an additional three of four mathematics content electives and a capstone Senior Seminar, for a total of 24 credit hours of mathematics. Each course is offered approximately once a year, with an enrollment of 20 to 30 students. Detailed information about the middle school mathematics minor at UWO is presented in our other article in this volume.

The courses in the minor are designed for future middle grades teachers and elementary mathematics specialists. The four content courses are activity-based and encourage students to develop deep understandings of middle school mathematics, the mathematical thinking of children, and on practicing and developing mathematically powerful ways of thinking. Another of our objectives is for our students to become confident in tackling large problems and in assessing the quality of their arguments independently of their instructor.