UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 28, Page 9
April 20, 1995
Major changes taking place in mathematics

     Math education in the 90s in the United States is undergoing a
far-reaching transformation, and the state of Delaware is in the
forefront with several initiatives, according to Ronald H. Wenger,
director of the Inservice Secondary Education Center of the Department
of Mathematical Sciences.
     Wenger and the center are involved in a variety of innovative
programs to enhance and change the way mathematics is taught in
Delaware classrooms.
     In 1991, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the center
a $1.1 million grant for the Delaware Teacher Enhancement Partnership,
a project to implement the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for
School Mathematics, established by the National Council of Teachers in
Mathematics (NCTM), in middle and high schools (targeting grades 6-
10).
     This partnership is co-directed by Wenger and Kathleen Hollowell,
associate director of the Secondary Mathematics Inservice Program, and
Clifford Sloyer, professor of mathematical sciences.
     Delaware is a leader in math education reform, Wenger said. Using
the NCTM Standards as the foundation, he said, the center and the
Department of Mathematical Sciences-and University faculty, teachers,
administrators, parents, community leaders, representatives from
business and industry and others involved in education-are cooperating
to bring about changes and improvements in the teaching of math and
student comprehension at all levels.
     Center personnel have been working intensively with
administrators and math departments in the Colonial, Lake Forest and
Capitol school districts, with an emphasis on training teachers in the
new curriculum and new teaching methods. Most of the mathematics
teachers from each school attend three-week summer workshops for three
years, learning by becoming students themselves. The workshops cover a
variety of topics, including probability, algebra, geometry and
discrete mathematics. Resource teachers and school administrators in
each of the schools play a vital leadership role in the partnership.
     "The teachers are divided into small groups and are given
challenging, real-life mathematical problems," Wenger said. "The focus
is on active learning, and the curriculum changes are significant.
     "It is difficult and frustrating at first, but when everything
falls into place, the teachers are elated, and the feedback is
enthusiastic," he said.
      These mini-courses are followed by extensive visits to the
classroom by center staff to support teachers in changing curriculum
and methods during the school year.
     One result of the partnership is the "Teachers Teaching Teachers"
program, led by Hollowell, in which participating middle school
teachers instruct their colleagues about new approaches to math
education that have been used and refined in classrooms. This set of
four, three-hour workshops is being made available to all middle
school teachers at six different locations in the state
     This summer also, 160 teachers from private and public middle
schools from across the state will attend two intensive, one-week
workshops at the University's Virden Center to learn about
implementing the NCTM Standards. Four mini-courses will be offered
each week on algebra and functions, statistics and probability,
geometry and discrete mathematics.
     The Math Center also is running a one-year Delaware Computer-
Intensive Algebra Project, funded by an Eisenhower Title II
Competitive Grant. Approximately 75 young students and a small group
of teachers are enrolled in a Saturday morning computer lab class.
     Nearly 75 teachers are taking one of three intensive, two-day
computer workshops at the University on weekdays to learn about
incorporating technology in math education. These will be followed by
a two-week workshop for teachers in July.
     An important organization in which the center is involved is the
Delaware Mathematics Coalition, a broad-based group from industry,
education, government and the community that supports efforts to
reform math education in the state.
     Most states have formed such coalitions with initial funding
provided by EXXON to the Mathematical Sciences Education Board.
University President David P. Roselle is chairperson. John Collette,
director of scientific affairs at the DuPont Co., is the steering
committee chairperson and Wenger serves as director.
     In addition, as part of the state's New Directions school reform
effort, launched by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Pat
Forgione and the State Board of Education, the Delaware Mathematics
Framework Commission was formed in 1992. Composed of teachers,
educators, parents and others, the group was charged to develop
content and performance standards for Delaware. The commission has
created a set of Mathematics Content Standards to guide school
districts in the development of their curricula and the training of
their teachers.
     Wenger, Hollowell, Martha Wilson, preparatory math specialist,
and Pamela Cook, chairperson of the Department of Mathematical
Sciences, serve on this commission.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure