Third Annual Mathematics Education Institute

The hotels listed below are offering discounts for participants in the Math Institute. When making reservations, be sure to mention that you are participating in the conference so you can get the special price. Other hotels are listed at the Las Cruces Convention Bureau.

Meson de Mesilla Boutique Resort Hotel and Gourmet Restaurant. (When coming from El Paso, take I-10 and then exit 140; at the stop sign, turn left. Go about 1/2 mile. The hotel is on the left.) 1803 Avenida Mesilla, 88046, (505) 525-2380, Charming hotel within walking distance of the square in old Mesilla. $50/night for a full (double) bed; extra person $6.95. Full breakfast included.

Corporate Suites Telshor (Villa Del Telshor), 1955 Telshor Boulevard, (505) 522-0804. (I-25, Exit 1 (University Avenue); at stop sign, turn right. Turn left onto Telshor. The suites are between Fairway and Misouri Streets.) Three-day minimum stay. Two bedroom apartments; queen bed in the master and twin beds in the other room, also 1 3/4 baths. . One bedroom has a full bed and 1 bath. Pool and laundry. Fully equipped kitchen in each apartment. Breakfast not included. $55/day for up to four people. Talk with Jimmy.

Sleep Inn, 2121 S. Treviz, 88001 (I-25, exit 1). (505) 522-1700. Within walking distance of the university. Heated pool, whirlpool, hair dryers, Continental breakfast included. $54/night for one to four people. Be sure to mention the Math Ed Institute when you call.

Best Western Mission Inn, 1765 South Main, Las Cruces, (505) 524-8591. I-10, exit 142. Two queen beds. $49/night for a single or a double, including breakfast. Talk with Richard.

The University has two food courts, and there are several nearby restaurants, from elegant to simple. Mexican restaurants are plentiful.

Sightseeing
Border Book Festival March 17 - 24, 2002. Theme: "The Healing Road" phone: 505-524-1499

In and around Las Cruces
http://www.lascrucescvb.org/index.html
http://www.weblifepro.com/lascruces/ lcaround.html

White Sands National Monument (Highway 70 east of the Organ Mountains)

Old Mesilla (Historic buildings and unusual shops)

Hiking:
Dripping Springs
Aguirre Springs

Museums:
Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum
Las Cruces Museum of Fine Art & Culture
Branigan Cultural Center

New Mexico State University
NMSU Department of Mathematical Sciences
Las Cruces Public Schools

Visiting Mexico:
If you plan to visit Mexico, it's best to bring your passport and to go in a group.

Background for the Institute
Background for the NMSU Math 111/112/501 and Math 301/501 experimental courses.

Each semester, beginning fall 1995, the Department of Mathematical Sciences at NMSU has offered a course taken together by Las Cruces Public School teachers and university undergraduates in the elementary education program. It combines Math 111/112, required for preservice teachers, with a graduate course, Math 501, for K-8 inservice teachers. This course contains rigorous, challenging math content that is divided into modules containing material that can be used directly in classrooms. Inservice teachers and preservice teachers are paired together. Teachers use the material in their own classrooms, and preservice teachers go into the classrooms of their mentors to observe and even teach under supervision.

In spring 1998 a third partnership course began, Math 301/501, Algebra and geometry for K-8 teachers. In fall 1999 we began a fourth such course, Elementary mathematics with technology. And in fall 2000 we offered for the first time our fifth course, Math and Science with technology.

Lessons in the partnership classes are built around projects that are meaningful to children and sometimes combine several topics from mathematics and science. Computation is done mentally or with a calculator. Students often work in groups, and communication is a part of many lessons.

Each semester, as many as 35 to 40 undergraduate students and about 10 to 20 teachers enroll in Math 111/112/511/512; in the Elementary Mathematics with technology course there are 12 teachers and 8 students. In fourteen semesters, more than 600 inservice and preservice teachers have taken the courses.

Materials for the courses come mostly from Breaking away from the Math Book: Creative Projects for Grades K-6 (Baggett & Ehrenfeucht, 1995). Breaking away from the Math Book II: More Creative Projects for Grades K-8 (1998); Breaking Away from the Algebra and Geometry Book: Original and Traditional Lessons for Grades K-8 (2001), our website (http://math.nmsu.edu/breakingaway/) and other materials being developed and tested.

As a part of the New Mexico Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation, we are holding for the fifth consecutive year an Institute for university instructors involved in mathematics content and methods courses for prospective and practicing K-8 teachers. Other interested parties are also invited. Contents of this page: Overview of the Institute Defraying expenses Hosts & Contact information Registration and Talk submission Schedule Transportation to Las Cruces Housing, Meals, and Sightseeing Background for the Institute Overview of the Institute The Institute will be held over four days -- Saturday, March 16 through Tuesday, March 19, 2002 -- at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM. During the Institute, participants will visit two experimental sections of our K-8 teacher preparation courses, Math 112/512 (Fundamentals of Elementary Mathematics II) and Math 301/501 (Elementary Mathematics with Technology), involving a collaboration between K-8 teachers in the Las Cruces Public Schools and elementary education undergraduate students working in a mentor/apprentice arrangement. (Prospective and practicing teachers meet in a joint university class, and try some of the units they do in the university classes with children in real classrooms.) Institute attendees will participate in two days of workshops, during which materials used in the courses will be presented and distributed. They will also visit classrooms of teachers taking the courses, when materials from the course are being taught in schools. Attendees are invited to submit papers for a Mini-conference that will provide opportunities for sharing innovative mathematics education programs occurring at their home institutions. Defraying expenses Some funding is available for travel and living expenses, up to $200 for instate participants (from outside Las Cruces), and up to $300 for out-of-state participants. (This may change, depending on the number of participants!) Hosts Hosts include Karin Matray, Director of Professional Development for the Las Cruces Public Schools, Prof. Rick Scott from NMSU's College of Education, and Patricia Baggett from NMSU's Department of Mathematical Sciences. For further information please contact Pat Baggett at baggett@nmsu.edu. Registration and Talk Submission On-line Form You may print out the online registration form or submit it electronically. Please be sure we receive your registration by Friday, March 1, 2002. Please send the form to: Pat Baggett Dept. of Mathematical Sciences MSC 3MB New Mexico State University P.O. Box 30001 Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 fax: (505) 646-1064 email: baggett@nmsu.edu Schedule
Saturday, March 16	NMSU campus, Walden Hall room 230
1:00 - 1:30 PM	Opening remarks, Karin Matray, Director of Professional Development, Las Cruces Public Schools
1:30 - 2:00 PM	Introductions and overview. Prof. Rick Scott, NMSU College of Education.
2:00 - 5:00 PM	Workshop with course materials. Pat Baggett, NMSU Department of Mathematical Sciences.
Sunday, March 17	Walden Hall room 230
10 AM - 12 noon	Workshop with more course materials, including presentations by teachers and students enrolled in Math 112/501 and Math 301/501.
1:00 - 5:30 PM	Mini-conference: Presentations by attendees; sharing of mathematics education innovations occurring at attendees' home institutions.
Monday, March 18
8:00 AM - 3:45 PM	Attendees visit classrooms of teachers taking the Math 112/501 and Math 301/501 courses.
4:30 - 6:10 PM	Attendees come to the Math 112/501 university class, Walden Hall 230. Remarks by Prof. Dave Finston, chair, NMSU Math Dept.
6:10 - 7:00 PM	Catered box supper will be provided.
7:00 - 8:40 PM	Attendees come to the Math 301/501 university class (Walden Hall room 230).
Tuesday, March 19
8:00 - 10:00 AM	Attendees visit classrooms of teachers taking the courses.
10:30 AM -12:00 noon	Closing session (at the Las Cruces Public Schools Teachers' Center; maps will be provided).
Transportation to Las Cruces Las Cruces is located at the intersection of I-10 and I-25 about 230 miles south of Albuquerque. If you fly, you should come into the El Paso, TX, airport, about 50 miles southeast of Las Cruces. You may take a shuttle (Las Cruces Shuttle Service, 1-800-288-1784, one-way $28, round-trip $43 at regular stops; $6 extra for a non-scheduled stop; extra persons traveling together are $15 each way) to Las Cruces. (For the hotels listed below, Meson de Mesilla, Corporate Suites, and Best Western Misson In are NOT scheduled stops; Sleep In IS a scheduled stop.) Or you may rent a car; or it is possible that we may be able to pick you up. Housing, Meals, Sightseeing Housing will be available for four nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, March 15, 16, 17 and 18) in nearby motels. Hotels The hotels listed below are offering discounts for participants in the Math Institute. When making reservations, be sure to mention that you are participating in the conference so you can get the special price. Other hotels are listed at the Las Cruces Convention Bureau. Meson de Mesilla Boutique Resort Hotel and Gourmet Restaurant. (When coming from El Paso, take I-10 and then exit 140; at the stop sign, turn left. Go about 1/2 mile. The hotel is on the left.) 1803 Avenida Mesilla, 88046, (505) 525-2380, Charming hotel within walking distance of the square in old Mesilla. $50/night for a full (double) bed; extra person $6.95. Full breakfast included. Corporate Suites Telshor (Villa Del Telshor), 1955 Telshor Boulevard, (505) 522-0804. (I-25, Exit 1 (University Avenue); at stop sign, turn right. Turn left onto Telshor. The suites are between Fairway and Misouri Streets.) Three-day minimum stay. Two bedroom apartments; queen bed in the master and twin beds in the other room, also 1 3/4 baths. . One bedroom has a full bed and 1 bath. Pool and laundry. Fully equipped kitchen in each apartment. Breakfast not included. $55/day for up to four people. Talk with Jimmy. Sleep Inn, 2121 S. Treviz, 88001 (I-25, exit 1). (505) 522-1700. Within walking distance of the university. Heated pool, whirlpool, hair dryers, Continental breakfast included. $54/night for one to four people. Be sure to mention the Math Ed Institute when you call. Best Western Mission Inn, 1765 South Main, Las Cruces, (505) 524-8591. I-10, exit 142. Two queen beds. $49/night for a single or a double, including breakfast. Talk with Richard. Meals The University has two food courts, and there are several nearby restaurants, from elegant to simple. Mexican restaurants are plentiful. Sightseeing Border Book Festival March 17 - 24, 2002. Theme: "The Healing Road" phone: 505-524-1499 In and around Las Cruces http://www.lascrucescvb.org/index.html http://www.weblifepro.com/lascruces/ lcaround.html White Sands National Monument (Highway 70 east of the Organ Mountains) Old Mesilla (Historic buildings and unusual shops) Hiking: Dripping Springs Aguirre Springs Museums: Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum Las Cruces Museum of Fine Art & Culture Branigan Cultural Center New Mexico State University NMSU Department of Mathematical Sciences Las Cruces Public Schools Visiting Mexico: If you plan to visit Mexico, it's best to bring your passport and to go in a group. Background for the Institute Background for the NMSU Math 111/112/501 and Math 301/501 experimental courses. Each semester, beginning fall 1995, the Department of Mathematical Sciences at NMSU has offered a course taken together by Las Cruces Public School teachers and university undergraduates in the elementary education program. It combines Math 111/112, required for preservice teachers, with a graduate course, Math 501, for K-8 inservice teachers. This course contains rigorous, challenging math content that is divided into modules containing material that can be used directly in classrooms. Inservice teachers and preservice teachers are paired together. Teachers use the material in their own classrooms, and preservice teachers go into the classrooms of their mentors to observe and even teach under supervision. In spring 1998 a third partnership course began, Math 301/501, Algebra and geometry for K-8 teachers. In fall 1999 we began a fourth such course, Elementary mathematics with technology. And in fall 2000 we offered for the first time our fifth course, Math and Science with technology. Lessons in the partnership classes are built around projects that are meaningful to children and sometimes combine several topics from mathematics and science. Computation is done mentally or with a calculator. Students often work in groups, and communication is a part of many lessons. Each semester, as many as 35 to 40 undergraduate students and about 10 to 20 teachers enroll in Math 111/112/511/512; in the Elementary Mathematics with technology course there are 12 teachers and 8 students. In fourteen semesters, more than 600 inservice and preservice teachers have taken the courses. Materials for the courses come mostly from Breaking away from the Math Book: Creative Projects for Grades K-6 (Baggett & Ehrenfeucht, 1995). Breaking away from the Math Book II: More Creative Projects for Grades K-8 (1998); Breaking Away from the Algebra and Geometry Book: Original and Traditional Lessons for Grades K-8 (2001), our website (http://math.nmsu.edu/breakingaway/) and other materials being developed and tested.