Math 390: Teaching College Mathematics
Instructor: J. Bookman

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