Nau mai, haere mai, welcome to TEMS762 Mathematics Education; a paper that is designed to enable pre-service teachers to engage in a broad range of issues relating to the learning and teaching of mathematics in Years 1-8 of the New Zealand Curriculum.

This paper provides opportunities for students to develop the skills, attributes, and knowledge related to the University of Waikato, Faculty of Education, Graduate Diploma Teaching (Primary) graduate profile and the academic rationale and goals for its teacher education programmes, particularly those that relate to the purposes, principles, practices, and issues related to mathematics education. Students completing this paper also develop their professional knowledge, practice, values, and relationships as outlined in the Graduating Teacher Standards: Aotearoa New Zealand. This paper makes links to components in each of the Standards – professional knowledge, professional practice, and professional values and relationships. These Standards link to Tātaiako: Cultural competencies for teachers of Māori learners which include ako, whanaungatanga, tangata-whenuatanga, manaakitanga, and wānanga.

The paper is structured around five modules. While modules are a convenient way to organise the paper, they should not be seen as discrete. This paper cannot hope to address all aspects of the mathematics curriculum and curriculum issues in depth but addresses the big ideas through the following modules:

Module 1: Personal mathematics experiences, whole numbers, and number operations

• Number Framework – strategies and knowledge
• Planning, preparing, teaching, and evaluating children’s learning in early number, with links to The Number Framework
  
• Advanced additive thinking
• Multiplication and division

Module 2: Developing algebraic reasoning

• Early algebraic reasoning
• Equivalence and equations
• Patterns and relationships
• Functions and variables

Module 3: Measurement and geometry

• Measurement attributes and progressions
• Time, angle, and temperature
• Shape and space
• Tessellations and transformations
• Investigations
• Connections between measurement and geometry

Module 4: Statistical investigations and statistical literacy

• The Statistical Enquiry Cycle
• Statistical literacy
• Probability

Module 5: Developing fractional number sense

• Common fractions, misconceptions, and operations
• Decimal fractions and percentages
• Proportional reasoning
• Connections to measurement

The following important issues and teaching approaches will be integrated within the modules:

• Rich and worthwhile mathematical activities
• Use of literature, resources, and digital technologies
• Culturally responsive pedagogies
• Planning to meet individual student’s needs
• Planning, assessment, and evaluation
• Language and communication
• Representations and manipulatives
• Conceptual versus procedural learning
• Grouping
• Mathematics Standards

Teaching for all modules will primarily be online (tasks and discussions) with some face-to-face sessions held at Te Kura Toi Tangata Faculty of Education.

You will also work regularly with students at your base school.

Your active involvement is required in all modules (via tasks, discussions and assignments). Online discussions are underpinned by a philosophy of creating 'communities of learners'. Participation is compulsory and required in a timely manner. You are also encouraged to ask questions about anything you are not sure of, and communicateyour own ideas. These forms of participation are all importan

If you want extra advice or guidance about an assignment please seek this early from your lecturer. Support for academic writing can be accessed on

http://www.waikato.ac.nz/students/student-learning/

Online resources will be available through the moodle web-site for this paper.

The first half of the 'teaching' for this paper is condensed into a 6 week period (weeks 9-14), and will require a fairly intense time commitment per week. In contrast the second half of the teaching is spread over 12 weeks (weeks 26-39). Note that two of the three assignments are due in the second teaching period. A total of approximately 170 hours of study is expected for a 17-point paper including online discussions and tasks, reading and assignments.