TO:  Mathematics Education Committee
RE:  Minutes of Meeting of 18 October1995
 
Members Present:  Brennan, Hill, Johnson, Kansky, Kennedy, Kullman, Rouse,
Sanders, Walker, Zirkes
 
 
1)  UPCOMING MEETING WITH PROGRAM REVIEW TEAM
 
The Academic Program Review Team has asked to meet with all members of the
Mathematics Education Committee at 3:00-4:00 pm on Monday, 6 November, in
Room 120 of Bachelor Hall.  The subject of the meeting will be the
mathematics education component of MU's Department of Mathematics and
Statistics.
 
2)  SEARCH FOR A MATHEMATICS EDUCATOR
 
Kullman announced the appointment of a Search Committee chaired by Jerry
Stonewater to fill the position vacated by Debbie Crocker.  Since the search
will be for a mathematics educator for the Department of Mathematics and
Statistics, the Mathematics Education Committee will be asked to review the
position announcement.  The draft announcement will be distributed for review
over the MathEd mail list.  The approved announcement will be published in
Focus (if we can meet an appropriate deadline) and the Chronicle of Higher
Education.  It also will be distributed through Internet mail lists serving
the mathematics community.
 
3)  TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION
 
Discussion focused on the content and scheduling of a graduate/undergraduate
course that both would replace the current options for meeting technology
requirement for secondary mathematics education majors (EDT 465, SAN 163, or
SAN 174) and would replace EDT 610 as a masters-level offering.  The course,
which would focus on the use of computing technology in the teaching of
precollege mathematics, would need to be offered once each acadmic year and
every other summer.
 
Although no formal vote was taken on the matter, it was the sense of the
Committee that MTH 408 should be retired and that an appropriate course
should be housed in EDT.   Such an arrangement would keep the course from
being used as an upper-level mathematics elective; it also would provide the
opportunity for the "exchange" of MTH and EDT faculty.
 
The Committee spent considerable time discussing the draft of a possible
course (EDT 465/565:  Computing Technology for Mathematics Educators)
prepared by Rouse.  Although the course must be designed to serve as the
technology component of the secondary mathematics teaching program, the
Committee felt that its content should be within the reach of elementary
education majors having a special interest in the teaching of mathematics.
The proposed outline would split the course time about evenly between
programming (some of it on a graphing calculator) and use of mathematics tool
programs in algebra, geometry, statistics,  etc.  Use of Internet resources
in mathematics education would be included in the new course or in EDT
335/336.  The general description will not mention specific items of
software, since it is anticipated that the course materials should and will
change in keeping with the field.
 
It was moved (Hill) and seconded (Sanders) that Rouse prepare a revised draft
of the course request for EDT 465/565, incorporating changes agreed upon by
the Committee.  The motion passed by unanimous vote.  [NOTE:  Copies of the
revised course request will be distributed prior to the next Committee
meeting with the goal of taking formal action on 18 November.]
 
NEXT MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE
 
The next meeting of the Committee will be on Wednesday, 15 November, at 4:00
pm.