nae Spices eateeiaes July 1987, page 9 ii : si ce, ana as Sots a Weber State College Comment, t is one of 43 junior high and middle school math Eve Carlsruh, a math teacher at Central Davis Junior High, turned into a student this summer at Weber State. She _ learning how to use computers as a teaching aid. teachers Computers Enhance Math Education eber State College and junior high teachers. from three local school districts are in the midst of a project that everyone hopes will have a dramatic positive effect in mathematics education. The program is a first-of-its-kind training project that is designed to help junior high or middle school teachers use computers to teach math. The idea, said Weber State project developers Dr. Maurice Burke and Dr. Patrick Henry, is to excite students by giving the teachers new pedagogical tools. ‘Tl think the impact of this in the classroom is going to be much larger than we originally thought,’’ said Dr. Henry. ‘‘The quality of work these teachers have developed has been just astounding. The level a number of them have reached is amazing.’’ AT&T donated $70,000 worth of equipment for the: project, the National Science Foundation gave $149,000, the Utah Board of Regents $15,000, Weber State came up with $15,000 matching funds, the school districts donated $10,000 in equipment and the State Board of Education con- tributed $4,000 to make this very ambitious project fly. “*The successful use in the classroom of the computer is not dependent on how good a programmer you are. It depends on how good of a teacher you are,’’ Dr. Burke said. From February to May the 43 junior high and middle school teachers met once a week for four hours learning the fundamentals of computer operations and programming. By May the teachers had conquered the basics of computer language, and they moved into a six-week summer session and now meet eight hours a day, five days a week for more advanced and intense training. When this phase is completed the two WSC mathematicians will visit each teacher’s classroom to test the effectiveness of computer-aided math education. **Right now we’re seeing a halo effect. This is the first time most students have seen this, and they’re amazed. By next fall we’ll see if that effect wears off,’’ said Dr. Burke. ~ **The teachers tell us that students are paying much closer attention,’’ Dr. Henry added. Computer expertise among the teachers ranges from some who just barely learned where the ‘‘on’’ switch is to Others who have significant expertise in programming, Dr. Henry said. ‘It’s intersting to note that people with little or no computer background are doing better than those with pro- Computer expertise was not arequirementfor the innovative program at the college that teaches math professors how to use computers in the classroom. In fact, prior computer knowledge often proved confusing to the students. gramming background,’’ said Dr. Burke. The teachers are assigned to develop their own ideas for programs to use in the classroom, and then they refine and share them. ‘‘These teachers are com- reproduce geometric designs, and the teacher and students can engage in some ‘‘what ifs’’ because of the computer’s quickness, said Dr. Henry. The system also allows teachers to better demonstrate principles and explain processes. ‘“‘With the computer the teacher is not at the blackboard drawing, but he or she is looking directly at the £ 7 % students,’’ said Dr. Henry. The computer is invaluable in the classroom because of its accuracy at creating geometric figures. Its speed also allows the junior high students to try out some ‘‘what ifs.’’ ing up with unbelievably fun things to do in the classroom,’’ Dr. Henry noted. Each teacher was given a computer to take to their school, to write programs and to use in the classroom. ‘‘The kids think it’s terrific,’’ said Laura Rees, a math teacher at Wahlquist Junior High in Ogden. The computers are permanently located in the junior high schools, and through those computers the teachers also have access to a minicomputer network in the main computer math lab at Weber State. Teachers can use their computer to call the network and either contribute or copy instructional programs that already cover a wide variety of topics. ‘‘At my finger tips I can call Weber State and find a program in any area of math, pick out the one I want and copy it. I don’t even have to leave the school,’’ said Jim Mayfield of Syracuse Junior High. The computer can accurately The two professors chose to work with the junior high level in hopes that the program, if proven successful, will drift up to the high schools and down to the elementary level. ‘‘These are seasoned teachers using this, and when you get seasoned teachers using the system that’s exciting. That means something’s working. They wouldn’t use it if it didn’t,”’ said Dr. Burke. The project has kept the two Weber State math professors busy. A chalk board filled with ‘‘To Dos’’ attests toa full schedule. ‘‘We’re just running to get everything done,”’ said Dr. Burke. ‘*But it is very exciting.”’ They noted that besides the direct effects in the junior high math classes, the spillover from the venture will benefit college math and education students as well. ‘‘The new computers that remain on campus will help our facilities immensely. It will also help with our teacher education program in the mathematics area. We anticipate a significant reform in our teacher preparation program to reflect what we’ve developed,’’ Dr. Burke said. The college has received a number of © inquiries from school districts outside of the Ogden area, and while a continuation of the program will not be guaranteed until the results of this first group are assessed, the Weber State mathematicians are optimistic about futher expansion of the computer network. ‘*We both agree that this has exceeded all our expectations,’’ Dr. Henry said.@ He ae oe ttre