Teaching and Communication of Mathematics

Code:

EC/DC4007

Acronym:

EC/DC4007

Level:

400

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Science Teaching/Science Divulgation

Instance: 2021/2022 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Science Education Unit
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Science Education and Communication

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M:EDC	2	Official Study Plan 2019/2020	1	-	6	42	162

Teaching language

Portuguese
Obs.: Português

Objectives

The main goal of the course is to create a discussion and reflection forum around fundamental issues concerning the teaching and learning of mathematics, as well as issues related to the importance of public spaces of pupolarization of mathematics to the teaching and learning of this subject. The focus of this course will be on the teacher's role inherent to the perspectives and recommendations from research in mathematics education to mathematics teaching practice, providing students with tools for constructing, conducting and analisying mathematics teaching and learning situations (including situations inspired in public spaces of popularization of mathematics), and for developing their cooperative and autonomous work skills, as well as a life long learning attitude towards the teaching profession

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the unit in Teaching and Dissemination of Mathematics, students should:

- know and reflect on the main curricular orientations for the teaching of Mathematics;

- recognize various types of mathematical tasks, their potentialities and limitations;

- identify some communicative practices in the Mathematics classroom and analyze their effects on the quality of the teaching and learning process;

- analyze inquiry-based teaching and assessment for learning practices in Mathematics;

- know public endeavors of Dissemination of Mathematics, their adequacy to an enlarged audience and in their relationship to mathematics teaching;

- understand the contributions of research in Mathematics Education and of literature in Dissemination of Mathematics to the improvement of Mathematics teaching.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Curricular orientations for the teaching of Mathematics


2. Mathematical tasks: types, potentialities, and limitations for the learning of Mathematics


3. Communicative practices in Mathematics: explaining, questioning, listening, and responding


4. Inquiry-based teaching of Mathematics: characteristics and practices


5. Assessment for learning: principles and practices

6. Spaces of Dissemination of Mathematics: potentialities, limitations, and adequacy to a large audience and to Mathematics teaching

Mandatory literature

João Pedro da Ponte; Práticas profissionais de professores de matemática, IEUL, 2014. ISBN: ISBN 978-989-8753-06-9
Barbeau, E. J., & Taylor, P. J.; Challenging mathematics in and beyound the classroom, Springer, 2009

Teaching methods and learning activities

The classes of Teaching and Dissemination of Mathematics will include moments of direct teaching, whenever necessary. Yet, they will be mainly developed under an inquiry-based teaching and learning approach, based on practical tasks and debates about texts based on research in Mathematics Education and on existing literature on Dissemination of Mathematics.

Students will complete several assignments, individually and in small groups, towards the presentation and/or discussion of texts. They will also lead debates about syllabus topics. The critical and reflective component of all assignments will be privileged, regarding students’ oral interventions and presentations, as well as their written productions.

If possible, students will engage in some field trips, to schools or spaces of Dissemination of Mathematics.

Students’ learning assessment includes oral and written assignments of diverse nature, with no final exam. Assessment will be made from a perspective of assessment for learning

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	5,00
Teste	20,00
Trabalho de campo	35,00
Trabalho escrito	40,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	74,00
Frequência das aulas	52,00
Trabalho de campo	36,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Students' participation in class sessions is mandatory. Student-workers who cannot or do not wish to attend classes as regular students (subject to the maximum of absences allowed by FCUP's regulations) must complete the assignments that are proposed to them throughout the semester and complete a final global assignment.

Calculation formula of final grade

All students are assessed continuously, focusing on
1) several assignments of exposition, discussion, analysis and reflection on various topics and texts, made by the students, during class sessions mainly (these assignments involve, in general, an oral component);
2) 2 written assignments, with or without the support of materials, and with a certain time limit. students accomplish these assignments in groups, pairs, or individually. there may be an oral component in these assignments
3) field work or trip
4) a final written and individual assignment

Students' oral participation is assessed according to its quality, relevance, and pertinence.

The classification is the weighted average ot the assignments accomplished according to the formula

CF=T1+T2+T3+T4+P+TF+PO, where 
Ti (written assignments of equal value)=8 points
P (project)=7 points
TF (final test)=4 points 
PO (oral participation)=1 point

The final test usually happens between the exam week preparation and the last day of the first exam period. 

Student workers have a slightly different assessment formula once their oral participation cannot be considered

Examinations or Special Assignments

No special assignments

Classification improvement

Unless assignments are proposed in a two-phase style, no student can improve the classification obtained in any assignment throughout the semester