Impact of the Missouri Middle Mathematics Project on the Preparation of Prospective Middle School Teachers.

Abstract

The goal of the project was to improve the teaching and learning of middle school mathematics through collaborative Standards-based mathematics curriculum investigations. The project not only contributed to the improvement of teaching mathematics in the participants’ classrooms, but it also significantly affected the program for prospective middle school mathematics teachers at the University of Missouri-Columbia. This teacher education program is described in this article. An essential ingredient in the successful transition to Standards-based practice at the middle school level is the development of teacher education programs that reflect the fundamental principles of the NCTM Standards (1989). In particular, the mathematical preparation of prospective middle grade teachers, which traditionally had been integrated into the programs for elementary teachers, needs careful consideration. The Mathematical Association of America, in A Call for Change (MAA, 1991), outlined recommendations for the mathematical preparation of middle grade teachers. These recommendations differ significantly from recommendations for the preparation of elementary teachers and provide guidance to those developing new programs for middle grade mathematics teachers. Currently, as in the case of the M 3 Project, much attention is being focused on the improvement of the knowledge and instructional skills of inservice teachers. This is important in order to stimulate immediate and substantive change. However, it is imperative that preservice education be simultaneously improved, so that new teachers entering the field are knowledgeable and can collaborate with their more experienced colleagues in transforming the classrooms in which middle grade students study mathematics. In response to this urgency, college and university faculty throughout the nation are examining and restructuring their teacher preparation courses and programs. These academic activities have created