MASTER OF EDUCATION IN CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION WITH A SPECIALIZATION IN MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH--CALIFORNIA ONLY (30-33 credits)*

The M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a Specialization in Elementary Math is designed to strengthen the mathematics teaching knowledge and skills of experienced middle school teachers. Coursework in curriculum and instruction addresses substantive outcomes in teaching and learning, including classroom and community equity, inclusion, curriculum development, formative and summative assessment, and classroom inquiry. Mathematics coursework is designed to foster greater learner engagement and strengthen student achievement in mathematics.

The program stresses modes of mathematical representation, including tables, graphs, and equations, the use of mathematical manipulatives, mathematical notation, and the written word. National standards and California curriculum framework requirements are incorporated throughout.

Please note that Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) completers will take the 30-credit version of the program; see the asterisk below for details.

PLEASE NOTE: Beginning in the Fall 2008 semester, courses previously using the GMATH prefix will become CMATH; numbers and content will remain the same.

For a printable PDF of the program sheet, which includes course descriptions, click here.

*Students who have successfully completed California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) will waive EEDUC 6128 and EEDUC 7111 (totaling six credits) and take EEDUC 6127 for six (6) credits; the six-credit version of this capstone course will include the completion of a reflective paper, and is designed to integrate professional growth achieved via BTSA experience, classroom practice, and Lesley coursework. Students who have not completed BTSA will complete all required courses, including EEDUC 6127 for three (3) credits.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

EEDUC 6125
Dimensions of Learning and Teaching
Students identify and use resources available to support them in their learning, teaching, and reflection. They begin to examine their identity as learners and professionals and use what they learn to explore ways that educational practices and enduring educational controversies can be understood using multiple perspectives and the knowledge that people learn differently. They also begin to build a portfolio in which they reflect upon and demonstrate their expanding understanding and competencies.

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EEDUC 6128
Dimensions of Equity
This course will examine the goals, assumptions, and strategies of multicultural and special education and prepare teachers to effectively apply theories of equity to classroom practice. Through a variety of cognitive and affective approaches, students will identify and analyze the cultural and structural factors that have led to unequal academic outcomes for diverse learners within the socio-political and historical context of the United States.

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EEDUC 7111
Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction: Assumptions, Relationships, and Design
Students work with several models and frameworks of curriculum development and their application to systems, classroom curriculum and instruction, and assessment. Models include standards-driven, integrated curriculum, portfolio, and performance assessment. Brain-based research and its impact on curriculum development and instruction are analyzed.

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EEDUC 6126
Classroom and School Inquiry
Classroom and School Inquiry focuses on the understanding and critical analysis of educational research and methods for accurately communicating this information to the public. As teachers participate in redefining their educational roles, decision-making and action-oriented classroom practice will be critical in promoting student learning. Both require problem-solving, which is enhanced by the forming and testing of hypotheses, gathering data that is then analyzed, synthesized, and evaluated, and generating solutions. This course will engage students in this process by acquainting them with the knowledge and techniques necessary for them to become lifelong teacher researchers, and to present the results of their research effectively and professionally to a variety of audiences. Note: This course is a prerequisite to EEDUC 6127.

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EEDUC 7102
Research in Reading
Research paper on a reading issue is completed concurrently as library resources are discussed, research studies evaluated, and critical issues reviewed.
Usually offered fall semester.

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EEDUC 6127
Action Research and Seminar
Students demonstrate their expanding understandings and competencies as teachers. They also collaborate with several classmates to design a research project that can have a direct impact on their school community, through which students may extend the research plan developed in an earlier course, EEDUC 6126. The six-credit option is designed to give students who completed a required induction experience or advanced education license an opportunity to demonstrate continued learning by applying that experience to their Lesley program and using their study to reflect on what they learned from their induction or licensure program. Prerequisite: Successful completion of EEDUC 6126 or an equivalent research course.

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CMATH 6101
Number Theory
This course explores the tools and modes of thinking that are specific to classical number theory. Topics include: prime numbers and divisibility, congruencies, Diophantine equations, Euclid's algorithm, arithmetic progressions and applications of these topics. Students will be expected to experiment and formulate conjectures. There will also be an emphasis on writing clear and coherent explanations of mathematical reasoning. Participants will extend their understanding of key ideas through individual and group inquiry, case study analysis, and guided research.

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CMATH 6100
Calculus: The Mathematics of Change
Change is a fundamental fact of our physical universe. In this course, students will explore the underlying structure of change by studying calculus. This course examines the calculus in its conceptual and historical context and introduces its essential topics: functions, limit, continuity, the derivative, infinite series, and the definite integral. Connections among algebra, geometry, and calculus are emphasized as well as real-world applications.

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CMATH 6104
Measurement and Probability
This course introduces teachers to the theory of measurement (length, area, volume), develops geometric modeling in algebra, and introduces teachers to experimental and theoretical probability, and multiple methods for solving probability problems. All topics are presented in the context of problem solving; emphasis is placed on development of these mathematical ideas, and the course design makes connections with arithmetic and reinforces understanding of functions, functions notation, and topics from algebra.

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CMATH 6103 
Data Analysis

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CMATH 6105
Trigonometry, Algebra, and Analytic Geometry
The first part of the course develops the subject of trigonometry. The course is conducted in an inquiry-based mode, and includes a review of similar triangles, the trigonometric functions and their graphs, the equation of the circle, the number pi, measuring angles in radians, and applications to measurement, wave motion, and problem solving.  The second part of the course, building on past work with linear algebra, includes quadratic functions, parabolas, higher degree polynomial functions, transformational geometry, the Pythagorean theorem (revisited), symmetry, and related problem solving.

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Lesley University reserves the right to unilaterally add, withdraw, or revise any course offering in the above-mentioned program of study, including policies, provisions, requirements, and fees.

Lesley University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, handicap, or disability in its education programs, employment, or in admissions to, access to, or treatment in its programs or activities.