Didactics of Mathematics I

Code:

DID4008

Acronym:

DID4008

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Didactics

Instance: 2014/2015 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	http://moodle.up.pt/course/view.php?id=2449
Responsible unit:	Department of Mathematics
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Mathematics Teacher Education for Middle and Secondary Schools

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
M:ENSM	15	Plano de Estudos do M:EMAT_2013-2014	1	-	6	56	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

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. Among these issues we find: mathematics curricula, the teacher's role in the classroom and recommendations from research in mathematics education to classroom practice.
The discussion forum should allow future teachers to build a tool box for constructing, conducting and analisying mathematics teaching and learning situations, and for developing 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 course, future teachers should know the main theoretical and methodological principles guiding the mathematics curricula for basic and secondary education, understand the main differences between direct teaching and an inquiry-based approach, distinguish various types of mathematical tasks and analyzing them with a critical stance, analyse and criticize methodological recommendations of sequences of learning tasks, start to understand the teacher's role in the exploration of learning tasks of varied nature and and beyond the classroom.
Future teachers should also show evidences of developing skills in terms of cooperative and autonomous work, communicating their ideas and perspectives (orally and in written form) in a coherent and clear manner, and with the support of research in mathematics education

Working method

Presencial

Program

1) Mathematics curricual for basic and secondary education
1.1) curricular evolution in Portugal and in the world
1.2) brief analysis of theoretical perspectives guiding the methodological suggestions for the teaching of mathematics, in light of research in mathematics education
1.3) mathematics program for basic education
1.4) direct teaching and inquiry-based teaching (emphasis on the latter)
1.5) mathematical tasks: types of tasks, mathematically rich tasks; need for diversification of tasks
1.6) creation and analysis of tasks for classroom usage
1.7) critical analysis of tasks and methodological orientations concerning the curricular themes for basic education (numbers and operations, geometry, algebra, and data handling)
2) The teacher's role in the classroom
2.1) forms of organizing students' work in the classroom
2.2) exploration of tasks of different nature in the classroom

Mandatory literature

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 050; Princípios e normas para a matemática escolar. ISBN: 978-972-8768-24-9

Teaching methods and learning activities

Class sessions will work mainly in a climate of interaction between the teacher and the students; thus, students' participation is of outmost importance. During the class sessions, students will engage in various assignments, mainly in small groups or pairs but also individually, supprting their work on texts, teaching and learning situations (episodes and classroom tasks, multimedia cases, observations in schools, etc.). Almost all assignments will involve components of oral discussion, mostly in class. The proposed assignments are based in research in mathematics education, always focusing on the challenges teachers face when involving students in working on mathematically rich tasks under an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning. All assignments proposed are elements of assessment, which is distributed along the semester and has no final exame, following a formative approach.

keywords

Physical sciences > Mathematics
Social sciences > Educational sciences > Education > Teacher training
Social sciences > Educational sciences > Teaching methods
Social sciences > Educational sciences > Education

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

Calculation formula of final grade

All students are assessed continuously. If students exceed the allowed number of absences in class, they will fail the course.
continuous assessment is focused 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 uspport of materials, and with a certain time limit. students accomplish these assignments in groups, pairs, or individually - these assignments are mainly accomplished in class but can be also done at home. there may be an oral component in these assignments
3) field work aiming at constructing teaching materials.
4) a final assignment, written, individual and global, during up to 3 hours

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+P+TF+PO, where 
T1 (assignment on problem solving)=4 points
T2 (assignment on organizing students' work)=4 points
P (project about constructing a mathematical trail)=7 points
TF (final test)=4 points
PO (oral participation)=1 point

The final test will happen between the exam week preparation and the last day of the first exame period. 
Student workers have a slightly different assessment formula once their oral participation cannot be considered.