Mathematics (21) This project is developing, implementing, and evaluating a model year-long teacher-scholar program in secondary mathematics. Graduates are highly qualified teachers who have experienced scholarship in mathematics in a setting that emphasizes the interconnections among theory, procedures and applications and who develop habits of mind of a mathematical thinker (CBMS, 2001). The program consists of two junior/senior level research capstone courses connected by a summer program. In a spring term course, Introduction to Research in Mathematics, students explore several research topics with an emphasis on experimentation, conjecture, careful justification, and clear, precise reporting. During a summer program participants return to campus at three-week intervals for three intensive two-day workshops and progress updates. A second course, Research in Mathematics II, takes place in the fall with emphasis on further examination of specific research topics (developed during the spring and summer) and on writing and disseminating results. The intellectual merit of the project lies in its implementation of a unique and exemplary research-oriented capstone program for prospective secondary mathematics teachers, filling not only a gap in the current mathematical preparation of future teachers, but also addressing a national need for highly-qualified mathematics teachers. The project is having a broad impact by serving as a model undergraduate research program for other institutions of higher education and to prepare highly-qualified mathematics teachers who are excited about mathematics learning and ready to promote current educational reform efforts.
