The main goals of the project are to improve the quality of mathematics and engineering education available to American Indian youth. The project proposes a model program consisting of a teacher workshop to be held concurrently with a camp for students at the middle school level, grades 6 through 8. The camp for students is to be funded from non National Science foundation funds, namely from AISES (American Indian Science and Engineering Society.) It is planned that 25 mathematics teachers attend workshops during the summers 1989 and 1990 at the Colorado School of Mines. The workshops emphasize mathematics and computer applications and improvement of teaching skills. Arising out of the workshop would be a tangible product in the form of a math kit which would be used in the schools and aid in transfer of knowledge and skills. The kit is to include culturally relevant, mathematically challenging lesson plans, manipulatives, computer software techniques, and reviews. Teachers and students are to benefit from constructive interaction and hands-on exercises during the training period. Funding for a prototype project to be conducted during the summer 1988 has already been funded by Cray Research, Incorporated. It is intended that the participants would become master teachers, as a product of the workshop experiences, who would be capable of helping other teachers in their districts. Through this mechanism, potentially hundreds of teachers and thousands of students should be impacted by the project. The process of participant selection is based on cooperative work by the College and AISES. The latter will advertise the workshop to American Indian schools using an existing mailing list to alert the school and community populations. Criteria used by AISES to judge applications includes evidence of need, commitment to teaching in an American Indian school, administrative support to ensure application of workshop training, and the teacher's willingness to adopt innovative approaches to the teaching of mathematics. There is to be an education selection committee comprised of educators and professionals in science and engineering which will select the participants from among the applicants. The emphasis during the workshop experiences for teachers is on teaching techniques, mathematics content, and computer content. A discovery learning process is to be utilized to invite teachers to more fully engage the academic subjects on which they may have deficiencies. The mathematics emphasis is on the development of algebraic and geometric thought utilizing spatial visualization and diagrammatic models. The computer classes involve literacy as well as programming techniques using the BASIC and Logo languages. The staff seems to have excellent knowledge of the academic and didactical topics as well as experiences in working with the target populations. An amount equivalent to 61% of the NSF request has been cost shared by the university, public and private institutions.
