ESUs 9, 10 host one-week courses
Graduate courses in the Nebraska Math and Science Summer Institutes (NMSSI) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are coming to Central Nebraska this summer. Join your colleagues and earn 3 graduate credits in just one week! https://scimath.unl.edu/nmssi
Courses for middle-level and secondary teachers are available in Hastings and Kearney to provide a superb opportunity to deepen your knowledge of mathematics and the teaching of mathematics, thereby benefiting the students you teach – and to have fun learning!
Current Nebraska teachers automatically qualify for a tuition reduction equal to 20 percent of in-state, graduate tuition for courses that are not asynchronous online. Teachers can apply for an NMSSI Fellowship to further cover the cost of tuition: https://forms.gle/1dNppqGEVQqNktFy8. Read more about the costs at https://unlcms.unl.edu/cas/csmce/nmssi-costs.
As follows are descriptions of the two courses that are being offered in your area this summer:
Math 805T: Discrete Mathematics (grades 6-12 teachers) will be offered at ESU 9 in Hastings from June 6-10. This course (Class # 3082, Section # 596) is designed to deepen knowledge of discrete mathematics as it relates to topics covered in middle through high school curricula. Many of the course topics are introduced through "hands-on" explorations including methods of counting, graph theory (networking) and voting theory, which is particularly relevant in an election year. Teachers will be introduced to different voting methods for determining the winner of an election along with several (sometimes conflicting) notions of fairness. The course also develops an understanding of the role of precise mathematical language, reasoning, and proof in the development of discrete mathematics. The exploratory exercises in the course provide useful vehicles for promoting communication as groups will collaborate to explore problems and present various solutions.
Math 808T: Concepts of Calculus (grades 6-10 teachers) will be offered at ESU 10 in Kearney from July 11-15. Teachers in this course (Class # 7646, Section # 696) will develop conceptual knowledge of the processes of differentiation and integration, an understanding of their applications and an understanding of the relationship between the two processes. Topics will include average and instantaneous rates of change, slopes of tangent lines, limits, derivatives, extrema, derivatives of polynomials and exponential functions, anti-derivatives, areas, integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Emphasis is placed on conceptual understanding and connections to the middle level curriculum. This course serves to introduce the basic concepts of calculus to middle level teachers and is designed around a series of explorations through which students are led to discover the main ideas of calculus. Thus, problems sets which guide participants through concrete examples conveying the fundamental concepts of calculus will form the basis of the course. The primary goal is to help teachers develop a fundamental understanding of the key mathematical ideas in calculus in order to broaden their mathematical perspective and gain insight into the topics in middle level curriculum which are related and foundational to its development. Graphing calculator strongly recommended (TI 84 and above). This course has been successfully taught to teachers of grades 5-8 as part of the Math in the Middle program.
The Benefits of the NMSSI:
• Nebraska teachers automatically qualify for a 20 percent discount on resident tuition at UNL for non-online courses
• Teachers can also apply for an additional tuition fellowship from the NMSSI: https://forms.gle/1dNppqGEVQqNktFy8
• Most courses are worth 3 graduate credit hours at UNL
Contact us at nebraskamath@unl.edu with questions.
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Be a lifelong learner.
Center for Science, Mathematics & Computer Education
https://scimath.unl.edu/nmssi