Online Master’s in Mathematics Learning and Teaching

Curriculum:

Students enrolled in the MS in Mathematics Learning and Teaching program are required to receive the grade of “B” or better in the program’s core and primary concentration coursework.  Grades of “C” or lower are not considered acceptable at the graduate level. For the Credit/No Credit grading system, Credit is equivalent to a grade “B” or better and No Credit is equivalent to an “F.” This School of Education policy is in addition to the Drexel University Office of Graduate Studies’ policy that all graduate students maintain a minimum, cumulative 3.0 GPA per term as well as an overall 3.0 GPA for graduation purposes.

Provides study and experience in quantitative and qualitative assessment. Methods for assessing student learning include informal test procedures such as rating scales, checklists, observations, and student self-assessment and formal test procedures such as essay tests, developmental criteria and rubrics, teacher-made objective tests, and standardized tests. Authentic alternative assessments include journals, portfolios, and performance assessments. Processes and problems in test construction and analyzing, summarizing, and reporting student outcomes are examined. Standards for validity and reliability are studied. Qualitative research includes gathering data through observations, interviewing, documentation, and triangulation in field settings. Includes a field component.

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EDUC 523 – Diagnostic Teaching

Focuses on teaching that attempts to identify the student's level of performance and all the relevant information that contributes to that performance. Involves analysis of material to be learned and implementation of instruction that integrates the learner's cognitive and emotional development with the appropriate part of the knowledge or task to be learned. Investigates various learning styles, including field-dependent/independent, convergent/divergent thinking, right/left brain activity, reflective/impulsive personalities, risk-taking/cautious, and attention to locus of control. Includes analysis and application of generic influences on cognitive, social, emotional, psychomotor, and physical aspects of learning. Investigates curriculum in terms of its psychological nature and selection and development of instructional strategies that enhance learning and prevent learning problems. Provides opportunities to work with elementary and secondary school students in the Drexel Diagnostic Mathematics Learning Laboratory.

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EDUC 524 – Current Research in Curriculum and Instruction

Examines the relationship of curricula and instruction to current research in learning and knowledge construction, developing higher-order thinking in specific disciplines and content areas, and the role of understanding and metacognition in learning. Complex problems of pedagogy are identified and analyzed (e.g., interdisciplinary curricula, team teaching, collaborative learning), with attention to designing learning goals and outcomes with effective instructional strategies.

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EDUC 525 – Multimedia in Instructional Design

Investigates learning theory and its implications for interactive multimedia formats, including the relationship of instructional design principles to selection of media elements (text, video, sound, animation, and graphics) for high-quality design. Examines human-computer interface principles, navigation features, and visual thinking using a wide range of educational software examples. Criteria for software assessment and virtual classrooms are reviewed. Students design and write a software prototype as a group design project. Complex issues and concepts in technology and education are analyzed.

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MTED 501 – Proportional and Algebraic Reasoning

This course is about learning and teaching algebra, focusing on patterns, functions and graphs, proportionality, and algebraic connections. Participants will collaboratively explore open-ended problems, discussing, evaluating, revising, and analyzing others? solutions. This is the first course in a sequence to prepare teachers for implementing student-centered, content-based and technology-enhanced instruction.

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MTED 502 – Geometry and Spatial Reasoning

This course is about learning and teaching geometry, focusing on characteristics of shapes, representational systems, geometric modeling, and proof. Participants will collaboratively explore open-ended geometric problems, discussing, evaluating, revising, and analyzing others solutions. This is the second of three introductory courses that prepare teachers to enact student-centered learning and teaching.

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MTED 503 – Data Analysis and Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning

This course is about learning and teaching data analysis and probabilistic and statistical reason, focusing on representation of data, measures of center and spread, inferential statistics, proportionality and probability, and introductory statistical analysis. Participants will discuss, evaluate, revise and analyze solutions and methods. This is the third of a 3-course sequence.

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MTED 511 – Functions through the Curriculum

This course will consist of an extended analysis of the conception of function, including its historical development. Participants will gain personal experience in thinking of function as a unifying idea on mathematics as well as with conceptual instructional materials.

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MTED 601 – Diagnosing Student Mathematical Thinking

This course is about student-centered learning and teaching of mathematics. This goal is to develop participants? expertise in analyzing student work, understanding student thinking, and using that understanding to guide subsequent interactions and interventions with the student. Pre-Requisites: MTED 501, 502, 503

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MTED 611 – Virtual Field Experience I - Online Mentoring

This course utilizes the Math Forum's online learning environment to provide teachers with opportunities to engage with students, diagnose student understandings, and implement appropriate instructional responses. Key to this course is virtual one-on-one interactions and an opportunity to reflect on these interactions. This is the first of a 2-course sequence. Pre-Requisite: MTED 601

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MTED 612 - Virtual Field Experience II - Online Mentoring

This course utilizes the Math Forum's online learning environment to provide teachers with opportunities to engage with students, diagnose student understandings, and implement appropriate instructional responses. Key to this course is continued virtual interactions and an opportunity to reflect on these4 interactions. This is the second of a 2-course sequence. Pre-Requisite: MTED 611

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MTED 621 – Collaborative Instructional Design and Analysis I

This course focuses on teachers identifying critical areas from their colleagues' classrooms that are in need of improvement and designing and implementing a substantive, outcome-driven response. The course will involve intensive analysis of curricular goals, intended student outcomes, lesson planning and classroom-based "action research." Pre-Requisite: MTED 601

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MTED 622 – Collaborative Instructional Design and Analysis II

This course is the second of two courses designed to help teachers identify critical areas from their colleagues' classrooms that are in need of improvement and designing and implementing an appropriate response. The course will involve similar tasks and assignments as MDED 621 but will differ in curricular focus. Pre-Requisite: MTED 621

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MTED 690 – Current Research in Mathematics Learning and Teaching

This capstone course for the Master of Science program in Mathematics Learning and Teaching will provide students with an introduction to research in mathematics education. Participants will read, analyze, and synthesize seminal research articles in mathematics education and create a proposal for a future classroom-based research project. Pre-Requisite: MTED 621

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MTED 775 – Mathematics, Learning and Teaching Special Topics