Initially 3 per week (including tutorials); later, time in classrooms (in school, college or adult education settings), together with some lectures / tutorials in College.
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
Describe and critique major theories about mathematics teaching and learning;
Outline and critique the context, aims, learning outcomes, content, resource implications and assessment procedures of Irish school mathematics curricula, in the context of international developments.
Identify and describe their own current beliefs about the nature of mathematics and their philosophies of mathematics education;
Report on their classroom experience in the light of the theories and topics addressed: describing and analysing their own reactions to the classroom experience; describing the approaches to teaching and learning, and analyzing the student behaviours observed; and (in conjunction with this)
Research and present a project on a topic that appears, or might appear, in mathematics curricula.
Module Content
Introduction and overview.
Attitudes to mathematics.
Learning and teaching mathematics.
Mathematics curricula.
The nature of mathematics and philosophies of mathematics education.
Module Prerequisite
None
Assessment Detail
This module is assessed by means of coursework: tutorial exercises involving postings to the module's discussion forum (5%) a mathematical autobiography (5%); and a project and report related to students' experience in classrooms (90%).