Journeys of Transformation

Available free for a limited time--MCTP's new, 157-page publication:

Journeys of Transformation

A Statewide Effort by
Mathematics and Science Professors to
Improve Student Understanding

Case Reports from Participants in the
Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation
Edited by
Maureen B. Gardner
with
Donna L. Ayres

Funded by the National Science Foundation
Division of Undergraduate Education

About Journeys of Transformation
To Order A Copy
Student Handouts
Send a Message to the Editors

About Journeys of Transformation

"We teach the way we were taught" the adage goes. This is no longer true for more than 120 mathematics and science professors in Maryland who have taken part in the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation (MCTP), a statewide experiment to improve student understanding. These faculty members had the courage to take risks, to transform their teaching practices, to try new and vastly different methods of instruction.

Breaking long-held traditions has been demanding for the faculty and their students alike. But it has also been rewarding--many students are grasping mathematics and science concepts in deeper, more meaningful ways than they ever have before. For the professors, who care profoundly about their areas of expertise, this payoff has made the extra effort--or what one even called "the agony"-- of changing their teaching approaches worthwhile.

Journeys of Transformation captures the stories of 17 of these faculty members. For any mathematics or science professor who is concerned about students' understanding--and who has the courage to depart from tradition--Journeys of Transformation will provide practical advice as well as inspiration.

Click here to see the Table of Contents for Journeys of Transformation

To Order a Copy

The response to our first printing in January 1998, was so great that we felt compelled to have a second printing. For a free copy (while they last), write to the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation, Center for Mathematics & Science Education, Smith Hall, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252; or send an email to Dr. Kate Denniston (kdenniston@towson.edu).

Student Handouts

Seven of the chapters in Journeys of Transformation contain student handouts that may be downloaded. These files are all in Microsoft Word format. To download them to your hard disk, simply click on the links below, or if that does not work, hold the (right) mouse button down on the link and select Save this link as... from the pop-up menu and then select Source from the Format: menu.

Interdisciplinary Science and Mathematics: Geometry and the Round Earth
Kenneth Berg and James Fey, University of Maryland, College Park

A Constructivist Approach to Plate Tectonics
Rachel Burks, Towson University

A Mathematical Modeling Course for Elementary Education Majors: Instructors' Thoughts
Don Cathcart and Tom Horseman, Salisbury State University

Adaptation of a Traditional Study of Enzyme Structure and Properties for the Constructivist Classroom
Katherine J. Denniston and Joseph J. Topping, Towson University

The Air We Breathe: Is Dilution the Solution to Pollution?
Tom C. O'Haver, University of Maryland, College Park

Constructing the Stream Community: The Ecology of Flowing Waters
Joanne Settel and Tom N. Hooe, Baltimore City Community College

A Shift in Mathematics Teaching: Guiding Students to Become Independent Learners
Richard C. Weimer, Karen Parks, and John Jones, Frostburg State University

Send a Message to the Editors

Send comments about Journeys of Transformation to Dr. Kate Denniston (kdenniston@towson.edu).