TEKS-Aligned Concepts of Unit and Representational Fluency in K-8 Mathematics
A Teacher Quality Project at the University of Texas at Arlington
Since 2006, the Department of Mathematics
at the University of Texas at Arlington
has had funding from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
to provide professional development for teachers of K-8
mathematics through the Teacher Quality program. Participants in this project
earn up to 18 hours of graduate credit (3 courses per year, for up to 2 years)
in K-8 Mathematics Education
which can be applied to UTA's
Master of Education
program in Curriculum
and Instruction. Each year, a new cohort of approximately twelve teachers
enters the program, interacting through the classes with the cohort that
entered a year earlier. We presently have funding to continue the
project for the 2012-2013 program year.
For further general information on program offerings, participant benefits
and responsibilities, as well as on applying to the UTA Graduate School,
click here.
(School districts must have an agreement with us in order for their teachers
to be eligible for grant support. UTA presently has agreements with Arlington and
Fort Worth. If you represent another district, feel free to contact us.)
Further information on applying to the UTA Graduate School can also be found at
http://grad.uta.edu.
Further information on the K-8 mathematics education graduate program at UT
Arlington can be found by clicking here.
2012-2013 Cohort:
Applications for the 2012-13 program year were accepted from
April 24 through May 18. We have offered funding to 22
participants, including the 12 returning participants.
Applications (currently closed):
Applying to participate in this funded program requires doing four things:
- Completing
this
online application form.
- Completing this signature form (2 pages),
which requires the signatures of both applicant and applicant's principal,
faxing a copy to the Project Director, Dr. Theresa Jorgensen, at
(817)272-5802, and presenting the original to her at the first meeting
of the fall course.
- Filing a Letter of Intent with the applicant's ISD mathematics department
and, for AISD teachers, the AISD Title I office
Applications are not considered complete until all these first three components are complete.
In addition, all selected applicants must complete an application to the
UTA Graduate School,
which includes having transcripts of prior university work sent directly
to UTA from the institution(s) where the work was performed. The application
for admission to the UTA Graduate School is completely separate and
independent of applying for grant funding. Selected
applicants must be successfully admitted as graduate students at UTA in
order to participate in program activities. Selection for TQ support does
not guarantee admission to the UTA Graduate School, and is contingent
upon successful admission and registration. We suggest you wait to pay the
application fee to the graduate school until you have received and accepted
an offer of support through our TQ grant.
NOTE: Applicants must apply for admission either as a degree-seeking
M.Ed. candidate in Curriculum and Instruction, with a concentration in K-8
mathematics education, or as a non-degree-seeking "special student" in
mathematics, with a concentration in K-8 mathematics education.
In accordance with funding guidelines, preference in selecting TQ applicants
will be given to:
- teachers whose students are primarily minority or economically disadvantaged;
- teachers who need additional coursework in mathematics to meet the
recommended 24 college credit hours in this discipline;
- teams of 2 or more teachers applying from the same campus.
Project objectives:
(1)Teachers will know more deeply the mathematics underlying concepts of unit through focus on the role of unit in number and operations, and algebraic reasoning.
(2)Teachers will be able to design, implement, and communicate to peers lessons (including appropriate assessment) that center instruction around students articulating and discussing their own ideas and thinking, individually and together.
(3)Teachers will demonstrate growth in representational fluency.
(4)Teachers will demonstrate growth in their ability to identify, use, and analyze their own, and their students', mathematical ideas and conceptions related to units.
(5)Teachers will be able to identify instructional strategies from mathematics
education research literature for meeting the needs of a diverse group of learners.
For further information please send e-mail to tq@mathed.uta.edu, or phone
Dr. Christopher Kribs Zaleta (K-8 Program Director, 817-272-5513) or
Dr. Theresa Jorgensen (2012-2013 TQ Project Director, 817-272-1321).
Past Cohorts
2006-2007:
22 teachers from Arlington ISD and Fort Worth ISD participated in the project
during the 2006-2007 year. Six participants completed the six-course
program in 2007. Teachers in this cohort made 11 presentations at CAMT 2007
(click here
for the schedule).
2007-2008:
Ten new participants joined the project for the 2007-2008 project year
(June 2007 through May 2008), with ten others returning from the previous year.
The latter group completed the six-course program in May 2008.
This cohort gave 10 presentations at CAMT 2008
(click here
for the schedule).
2008-2009:
The 2008-09 cohort included ten returning participants as well as twelve new
ones, with teachers from Arlington, Fort Worth, Mansfield, and HEB ISDs.
Returning participants completed the six-course program in May 2009.
The teachers in this cohort made 11 presentations at CAMT 2009 in Houston
(click here
for the schedule).
2009-2010:
The 2009-2010 cohort included eight returning participants as well as fifteen
new ones. Coursework began in August 2009 and ran through late June 2010.
Participants made 14 presentations at CAMT 2010 in San Antonio
(click here
for the schedule).
2010-2011:
The 2010-2011 cohort included thirteen returning participants as well as seven
new ones. Coursework ran from August 2010 through June 2011.
Participants made 11 presentations at CAMT 2011 in Grapevine
(click here
for the schedule).
2009-2011 MSTTPA Cohort:
A separate grant, also funded by THECB, supported a cohort of 23 FWISD
elementary math coaches to complete the program in K-8 mathematics education
during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years, under the auspices of the
UT Arlington Mathematics Teacher Preparation Academy.
This academy was funded by the MSTTPA program, a sister program to TQ.
2011-2012:
The 2011-2012 cohort included eight returning participants as well as 14 new ones. Coursework ran from August 2011 through June 2012. The 2011-2012 cohort also included nine returning participants who had already completed the six-course graduate program in K-8 mathematics education. These participants engaged in a year-long seminar focused on Teacher Questioning in Mathematics.
Last updated August 7, 2012