AMES, Iowa -- An internationally recognized scholar on the teaching and preparation of mathematics teachers will be the first lecturer in a new speaker series, "Current Issues in Mathematics Education," hosted by Iowa State University's College of Education.
Thomas Cooney, professor emeritus of the School of Teacher Education at the University of Georgia, Athens, will talk on "The Many Faces of Mathematics" at 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 18, in the Gold Room, Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public.
Cooney will discuss reform efforts in mathematics teacher education. He'll examine how teachers and teacher educators define good mathematics instruction, discuss children's views of mathematics, consider society's notion of what mathematics is and review the historical nature of mathematics.
He is the past president of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators and the founding editor of the Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education. His research is on teachers' beliefs relating to acceptance of change, teacher education and assessment and teaching. He is the co-author of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' "Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics."
The series is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.