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Using faculty-developed
materials in Milton courses
| Mathematics
and Computer Programming: An Intersection of Theory and Practice
Learning to think analytically, both in theory and practice,
is at the heart of the Milton mathematics and computer programming
curricula. We encourage students to develop a rich variety
of mathematical and technological concepts to understand the
spatial and quantitative dimensions of the world in which
they live and to appreciate the logical principles that inform
those concepts. At all levels, our students build skills through
problem solving, using problems based in real-world contexts.
Computer programming classes introduce students to the Java
language. Advanced courses are offered in Java, C++ and Unix.
Students quickly progress to sophisticated real-world applications
of their programming knowledge.
Click
here for the mathematics department teaching standards and
goals. |
Are we using established mathematics texts, or not? The question
is more subtle than that. If we found that texts provided what we
wanted, then we’d be happy to ask students to purchase them.
Math texts are written for California, however, a state that has
recently seen many iterations of the pedagogy of mathematics teaching.
In the past five to ten years we have found ourselves changing algebra,
geometry, and precalculus textbooks frequently, and those changes
have not served our students well. In developing our own teaching
materials, we have the opportunity to frame courses that meet the
needs of our students, rather than asking the students to mold themselves
to a particular textbook. Each text has particular gems –
problems and projects – that are wonderful, and we actually
use many texts as resources. The faculty members who have developed
materials for courses at Milton also use their own work, as well
as approaches and problems they’ve gathered from the Internet
and from professional conferences. Without having to follow a text,
we can also be flexible enough to follow the leads provided by students’
questions. That is what makes each course as rich as it is.
Using the materials we develop, we’re able to determine how
we spend time in each course, and how we approach the material.
We spend less time on the repetitive practice of skills, in the
abstract, and more on presenting a stream of situations, asking
students to determine what they need to know to solve the problem.
We help them develop mathematical ideas and skills by working on
them in a context – an intriguing and interesting treatment
of mathematics for students, we hope.
Writing our own teaching materials takes a great deal of time, thought,
and conversation. The greatest benefit to this effort may be the
collaboration it fosters among department members. The discussions
among teachers are constant: “How many methods can we think
of to solve this problem?” or “What problem or group
exercise will encourage students to grapple with a particular concept?”
As teachers, we understand that our students’ experiences
in the mathematics classrooms are most fruitful when we trust and
depend upon our department colleagues. These discussions about teaching
develop rich connections among teachers, and ultimately greatly
benefit our students.
Our core focus is always on what’s best for our students.
We seek to provide all students with experiences that provide them
the confidence and competence to deal with abstract issues, to understand
mathematics as it is used in the world around them, and to prepare
them for their future courses of study and careers.
Jackie Bonenfant, Mathematics Department
Click here
to read an article about mathematics at Milton (Milton Magazine,
spring 2005).
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