NEW IU PROGRAM TO HELP TEACH INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHERS BEST USE OF HIGH-TECH CLASSROOM TOOLS

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- High school teachers from throughout Indiana will have the opportunity to learn how to best incorporate graphing calculators into innovative, effective mathematics curricula through a new program by the Indiana University Center for Mathematics Education, which was founded last year to improve K-12 mathematics education throughout the state.

The new project is funded by a one-year, renewable $130,000 Eisenhower grant through the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

"Teachers and administrators are quick to point out that just putting a calculator or computer in the hands of teachers and students is no answer," said William Frascella, director of the center and co-director of the project. "Without significant training, many feel putting technology in the classroom is just a waste of money.

"Our project responds to the K-12 community's demand for the professional training that will make this technology work to improve student learning and performance in their classrooms," continued Frascella, who is an associate professor of mathematics on IU's South Bend campus. "This call for professional development in the classroom use of technology is becoming the number one priority in most Indiana school corporations."

More than 120 high school teachers from throughout the state will be involved, representing schools in and around Anderson, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, northwest Indiana (Gary, Hammond and East Chicago), South Bend and Terre Haute.

The grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, will provide four one-week summer workshops and follow-up technical assistance and leadership during the academic year. The instruction will be curriculum-based and the relationship between technology and the latest educational standards will be highlighted. Participating teachers will develop expertise with the functions and capabilities of graphing calculators so they can concentrate on teaching techniques as they plan for, and implement, mathematics reform in their own classrooms.

Co-director James Hersberger, who has conducted many educational technology workshops throughout the state, is convinced that this project will have a positive impact on student learning. "Graphing calculators are powerful teaching aids in any circumstance and when used in conjunction with exemplary curricula can aid students in making connections between numeric, graphic and algebraic representations of data and problem situations," said Hersberger, associate chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW).

Both Hersberger and Frascella believe that understanding and using the mathematical ideas and techniques essential to today's high-tech workplace require the intelligent use of the graphing calculator.

The Eisenhower grant allows the IU Center for Mathematics Education to include high school teachers in the work of its Indiana Mathematics Initiative, the center's curriculum-based professional development project established last April for middle school teachers through a $2 million National Science Foundation grant.

The center is a university-wide operation that is based in the office of IU President Myles Brand. It links mathematics, educational and technological resources from IU campuses with the stakeholders in Indiana education, including teachers, administrators, parents and state officials. A primary focus of the center is to develop performance-based and technologically rich teacher preparation and in-service programs.

Looking to the future, the center is committed to ensuring that it serves all areas of the state. A long-range goal is to establish chapters of the Bloomington-based center on all eight IU campuses. Frascella is currently working with IU South Bend Chancellor Ken Perrin to locate a chapter on the South Bend campus.

(Jeff Austin, Office of Communications and Marketing, 812-855-0084 or 812-855-3911, jeaustin@indiana.edu)

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