MATH 390: Teaching College Mathematics
This course is one of the components of our program
to prepare our graduate students to be effective
instructors of mathematics.
All first-year mathematics graduate students should
enroll in this seminar class, which is graded on
a pass/fail basis.
The activities of the seminar include:
1. A discussion of what constitutes good teaching and how undergraduates learn mathematics.
2. Observations of lessons taught by experienced teachers.
3. Discussion of observations.
4. How to organize lessons: planning, time management, homework.
5. Overview of content of our calculus courses with emphasis on what students find difficult.
6. Making up hour-length exams.
7. Grading exams.
8. Current issues in undergraduate mathematics education.
9. Meeting of first-year graduate students with the graduate students teaching for the first time to discuss
the problems of first-year teachers.
10. Office hours, how to start the semester, rules and regulations, services available to first-year undergraduate students.
11. Presentation of a 15-minute practice lesson.
12. Two lectures given to real calculus classes. These presentations are observed by the department's
coordinator of teacher training or a faculty member designated by the coordinator. There is a follow-up discussion;
and when possible, the students who were taught by the graduate student complete a short evaluation
consisting of three questions: What was best about the instruction? What was worst? What would be one
suggestion you would make to the TA to improve the TA's teaching?
More information about the mathematics department's teacher training program can be found at
http://math.duke.edu/graduate/ta_training.html
Mail comments and suggestions concerning this site to
dgs-math@math.duke.edu
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