GK-12 Graduate Students and Teachers Engaging in Mathematical Sciences
The G-TEAMS Program (Graduate Students and Teachers Engaging in Mathematical Sciences) provides an innovative and dynamic opportunity for graduate students and teachers to collaborate on the development of novel, rigorous, and relevant material for K-12 mathematics courses. The program, run by the Institute for Mathematics and Education and the Department of Mathematics at the University of Arizona, builds on a long-standing relationship between these two units and schools in the Tucson area. Fellows are recruited from the graduate programs in Mathematics and the interdisciplinary programs in Applied Mathematics and in Statistics at the University of Arizona. They work with high school teachers on the development of new courses, such as probability and statistics and mathematical modeling, on ways to promote algebraic thinking in K-8 grades, and on strategies to facilitate transitions between elementary, middle, and high school. The program is interdisciplinary and involves innovative approaches, such as video conferencing between classrooms and the Applied Mathematics Laboratory, or the use of computer simulations and applets. G-TEAMS lessons and learning objects are made available to the community by means of a web portal.
The program promotes STEM disciplines to underrepresented K-12 student populations and fosters a synergetic relationship among fellows, teachers, and K-12 students. Fellows learn to communicate mathematical ideas to diverse audiences, implement a range of teaching techniques, and increase their understanding of K-12 educational issues. Teachers become familiar with cutting-edge research and broaden their understanding of mathematics. Students learn to appreciate the wide variety of possibilities offered by STEM disciplines.
