The Mathematics Partnership Project is collaboration between the Childhood Education Department (Dr. Susana Davidenko) and a team of four teachers from Randall and Barry Elementary Schools in Cortland.
These teachers are becoming Mathematics Instructional Support Teachers (MIST): they design, implement and share with colleagues inquiry-based, student-centered mathematics units to teach the core content for each grade level.
The units aim at enriching the textbook series adopted by the district. Cohorts of students in Dr. Davidenko's mathematics methods classes are involved in the project as they complete their first 50 hours of observation in the MIST's classrooms. Debriefing in the college classroom about the field experiences focus on the connections between theory and practice of teaching mathematics, and between teachers' content and pedagogical knowledge.
Through their observations, teacher candidates have already realized the need for teachers' flexibility and ability to differentiate lessons to engage students in the inclusive classrooms.
