This project team is collaborating with an urban school district to enable mathematics education majors to gain experiences teaching technology-rich mathematics lessons to inner-city students in a model classroom at the PI's institution. Existing mathematics methods courses are being restructured to emphasize applying the course content within the context of preparing and teaching lessons to students visiting from the local school district. The intellectual merit of the project rests on three components: 1) providing undergraduates early experiences in teaching diverse student populations; 2) linking mathematics education theory with practice; and 3) promoting effective use of technology to advance mathematical reasoning and sense making in students. In addition, the investigating team is examining the impact of the restructured courses and model technology classroom on: i) the beliefs of the undergraduate mathematics education students about teaching in an urban setting, ii) their knowledge of technology and implementation strategies, and iii) their ability to link educational theories and classroom practices. The publication and presentation of findings from this work are contributing to the project's broader impacts by informing other undergraduate education programs and providing a model for how to provide preservice teachers with early, authentic experiences teaching with technology. Moreover, the participating students in the Erie School District are benefitting from engaging mathematics lessons and opportunities to visit a college campus. Finally, collaborating teachers in the local school districts are gaining valuable in-service professional development through their exposure to effective examples of implementations of technology-enriched mathematics lessons.
