Pre-AP Mathematics for Middle School Institute
Monday, July 19 through
Friday, July 23, 2010
The goal of the course is that teachers work together to experience and share ways to uncover the meaning and use of the concepts and basic skills needed for success in middle school pre-AP mathematics. A variety of activities, strategies, and methods, including manipulatives, graphing calculators, and other tools, will be used to increase student understanding. Emphasis will be on exploration and problem solving algebraically, numerically, graphically, and verbally, since facility changing a problem's representation is often critical in revealing a method of solution. This course is targeted towards both inexperienced (2 years or less) and experienced teachers.
What participants should bring:
- Graphing calculator, if you have one
- Optional: If you wish, bring a short (5-10 minutes) activity to share with the group, along with copies and materials needed.
Pre-AP Mathematics Consultant Deborah Preston
Deborah B. Preston attended Rice University and received her BS in mathematics from UTSA, and her Master of Arts degree in mathematics from the University of the Incarnate Word. She has been teaching for 25 years, 20 of which have been in AP and Pre-AP mathematics classes at Keystone School, where she chairs the Upper School Mathematics Department. A member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, she co-authored the Instructor's Guide to accompany Paul A. Foerster's Calculus: Concepts and Applications. For 12 years, she and Mr. Foerster taught mathematics summer institutes for teachers through the University of California at Berkeley. She makes presentations at national conferences on technology use in the mathematics curriculum and is an experienced writer of standardized mathematics tests. A national consultant for the College Board for 14 years, she has presented many AP summer institutes in middle-school pre-AP mathematics and calculus and has spoken at numerous 1- and 2-day conferences regionally and nationally. Ms. Preston has been recognized as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a Radio Shack/Tandy Technology Outstanding Teacher, and was a recipient of the state-level Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching. In February 2006, the College Board's Report to the Nation reported that the 2005 Calculus BC AP scores for Ms. Preston's students were the best in the nation for small schools under 300 students.