Middle School Math Through Applications Program

San Francisco Bay Area, California

Contacts: Jennifer Knudsen, Director of WestEd

                Shelley Goldman, Stanford University

http://mmap.wested.org/

Sponsor

WestEd

Objectives

MMAP began as a curriculum development and research project. Over the years, MMAP has grown to encompass a number of programs for young people, parents and teachers.

Mission

• To define and test the feasibility of an applications-based approach to learning math by creating and field testing a series of application units and assessments for middle school math classrooms;
• To learn more about the ways that technologies might be integrated into the mathematics classroom through a research and development process;
• To bring to the curriculum design process a collaborative community that included education researchers, teachers and teacher educators, curriculum developers, math-using professionals and students;
• To work with teachers to learn about the issues they face as they make changes in their perspectives and practices; and,
• To conduct research to improve on our materials design and to generate new understandings of mathematics teaching and learning.

Partners

Stanford University and WestEd

Guiding Principles

Integration of new technologies into the education process

Programs

Pathways to Algebra and Geometry. A two-year curriculum based on real-world work problems, technology rich, and balanced among mathematics skills, concepts and problem-solving.

Primes involves parents in their middle school children's math education with a series of workshops, a television program and a guidebook.

Vital helps teachers visualize how the new NCTM Standards can change the way their classrooms look and feel.

WebMath provides online learning environments for teachers to gain professional development.

Professional Development

• Video Interactives for Teacher Analysis and Learning (VITAL) - WestEd is creating a CD-ROM called "Seeing Powerful Mathematics" that will provide teachers and teacher educators with multiple perspectives on standards-based teaching.

• WebMath - A mathematics learning community for all middle school teachers. Asynchronous online courses for exploring higher level mathematics behind the middle school mathematics curriculum.

Technologies

• TV

• Video

• CD

• Online support

• Online courses, with synchronous and asynchronous components

Project Management Plan

See WestEd site http://web.wested.org/

Formative Evaluation Plans

 

 

Timeline of Project Activities

MMAP began in 1992 with the Pathways project.

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