Planning to take a graduate course this summer to continue your professional development or to get one step closer to earning your master’s degree? Registration opens today, March 9, for summer courses at UNL through the Nebraska Math and Science Summer Institutes (NMSSI), which offer graduate mathematics and pedagogy courses using a teacher-friendly delivery model.
To enroll in UNL graduate courses, follow the four steps outlined on the Nebraska Math and Science Summer Institutes website, http://scimath.unl.edu/nmssi. This year we are offering 30 courses across the state and online to meet your professional development needs. Check out our course catalog, which supplies the needed class numbers for either Teach Nebraska registration or MyRED.
For all on-site NMSSI courses, current Nebraska teachers automatically qualify for a tuition fellowship from UNL equal to 20 percent of in-state, graduate tuition. Additionally, Nebraska K-12 teachers can apply for supplemental NMSSI Fellowships to further defray tuition costs for NMSSI courses. The NMSSI Fellowship Application is also now open at http://go.unl.edu/scimathapply.
The following five NMSSI courses for K-12 teachers are coming to Central Nebraska this June: MATH 800P for K-3 teachers will be held in Kearney from June 22-26; TEAC 890 for grades 3-6 teachers and STAT 811T for grades 6-8 teachers will be held in Grand Island from June 1-5; and for grades 6-12 teachers, MATH 805T: Discrete Math will be held in Hastings from June 15-19 and MATH 806T: Number Theory and Cryptology will be in Holdrege from June 15-19. Each course is from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and includes free lunch. Most courses will meet at an ESU office or a district administration office, rooms TBA.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
MATH 800P (Class # 13778, Sec # 952 in Kearney) Number and Operation for K-3 Math Specialists: This course strengthens teachers’ conceptual knowledge of number and operation in the K-3 mathematics curriculum and connects the intuitive mathematical understandings that children bring to school with an understanding of place value in the K-3 curriculum. The significance of base 10 in our place value system, along with its role in arithmetic operations and their properties, is a major emphasis of the course. Katie Soto, Noyce Master Teacher, of Grand Island Public Schools will be the lead instructor of the course.
TEAC 890 (Class # 5273, Sec # 952 in Grand Island) Responsive Instruction in the Mathematics Classroom: The new Nebraska state and Common Core standards for mathematics are based largely on learning progressions. Thus, the aim of this course is to familiarize elementary teachers with mathematical learning progressions related to topics spanning the elementary grades (through grade six). The course will utilize frameworks based on extensive research which divide student strategies into categories based on learning progressions (sometimes called learning trajectories). These categories provide teachers with a way to teach responsively by utilizing formative assessment of student thinking to design "next steps" to advance and deepen student understanding. UNL doctoral candidate Elizabeth Cunningham and Cindy Beaman, Noyce Master Teacher, of Grand Island Public Schools will be the lead instructors of the course.
MATH 805T (Class # 15494, Sec # 951 in Hastings) Discrete Mathematics for Teachers: This course 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 (which characterize discrete mathematics) through which various problem-solving strategies are emphasized. 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 to the class. Jessica Thompson, Noyce Master Teacher, of Superior Public Schools will be the lead instructor of the course.
MATH 806T (Class # 3347, Sec # 951 in Holdrege) Number Theory & Cryptology for Secondary Teachers: This course focuses on basic number theory results which are needed to understand the number theoretic RSA cryptography algorithm (an encryption algorithm which is in use today to secure information sent via the internet). The course emphasizes connections to middle level mathematics and promotes a deep understanding of the integers and their properties. Elementary methods for encoding and decoding are introduced to elucidate the nature of cryptology. These methods are readily adaptable for use as enrichment activities in the classroom. The connection of number theory to RSA encryption is a very relevant, real-world application of mathematics. Jason Vitosh, Noyce Master Teacher, of Falls City Public Schools will be the lead instructor of the course.
STAT 811T (Class # 15455, Sec # 931 in Grand Island) Statistics for Middle School Teachers: This course offers an introduction to probability and statistics. It follows an inquiry/discovery design dedicating much of class time to activities, discussion and group work. The course emphasizes both topics in probability and statistics that are part of the middle-school curriculum and also statistics that are used in education and school-based research. Stat 811T is not open to teachers who have previously completed Stat 892 or Stat 812T. Dan Schaben, Noyce Master Teacher, of Arapahoe Public School will be the lead instructor of the course.
Visit our website http://scimath.unl.edu/nmssi for our complete course catalog for this summer as well as steps on how to enroll and apply for tuition assistance. Contact us at nebraskamath@unl.edu with questions.
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Be a lifelong learner.
Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education
http://scimath.unl.edu/nmssi