Math professor receives grant to improve math instruction
Released: April 7, 2008
Where so many schools have fallen by the wayside with elementary education, Fe Evangelista, associate professor of mathematical and computer sciences, hopes to fill the void with pre-emptive instruction for grade school students in three Whitewater elementary schools. She was awarded a grant in the amount of $71,846 from the University of Wisconsin System.
"Developing Mathematics Teacher-Leaders Through Collaborative Teams of Inservice and Preservice Teachers" will offer professional development for elementary education majors at UW-Whitewater and teachers at Lincoln, Lakeview and Washington elementary schools.
"Though our partnership with the Whitewater School District, we will form teams of teachers and students at summer workshops and in classrooms during the regular school year," Evangelista said.
While Whitewater schools have fared particularly well on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE-CRT), a standardized test required by the No Child Left Behind Act, the changing demographics of these schools have proven to be a challenge for teachers. Compared to 10 years ago, there is now a larger proportion of students in the district who are eligible for free or reduced lunch or who are English Language Learners.
Evangelista's project will give teachers additional tools to create a classroom that promotes mathematical reasoning. "The WKCE-CRT mathematics test includes test items that assess not only problem solving skills but the ability of children to explain their reasoning," she said. It's not all about doing routine calculations, rather, we want children to be able to make sense of mathematics."
Research has found that some of the strategies commonly used for reading comprehension bodes well for math instruction as well. "Most time students can do calculations once they have identified what calculations are necessary to solve a problem," Evangelista said. "Better reading skills will greatly improve their understanding of word problems."
Evangelista and the other investigators on this project will select 10 elementary education majors. Students will learn more than what they have been taught in the classroom, according to Evangelista. More importantly, students in the program will get a additional student teaching experience before it is required by the College of Education. "For this, they will receive undergraduate credits and the teachers will receive graduate credits."
This summer project will take place in July 2009-with regular meetings and mentoring sessions in the following academic year. Investigators include Laura Moranchek, workshop instructor, and William Mickelson, internal evaluator. For more information, contact Evangelista at (262) 472-2764.
- Lequez Spearman,spearmanlt22@uww.edu
