10 - Geometry for Middle Grades Teachers at Northern Kentucky University

Summary

At Northern Kentucky University (NKU), the course Geometry for Middle Grades Teachers is required of all pre-service middle grades mathematics teachers and of pre-service elementary school teachers who have an emphasis in mathematics. This student-driven, inquiry-based and activity-oriented course has been successful in its goal to have students be able to solve problems in geometry, reason mathematically, and to present clear and concise explanations of their work. The problem-solving philosophy and implementation of the course have contributed to its success.

History and Philosophy of the Course

This course was taught for several semesters using the text, Geometry for Teachers, by C. Patrick Collier [1]. Topics covered included two-dimensional geometry, three-dimensional geometry, isometries, congruence, similarity, and measurement. The topics covered were appropriate for the course, and the philosophy used by the text's author agreed with the philosophy of the course. In the preface to the third edition of the text, Dr. Collier says, “Rather than plan a class by asking myself, ‘What shall I tell them today?’ I ask myself, ‘What shall I have them do today?’” [1] The instructors of this course adopted this philosophy as well. Unfortunately, the text is no longer in print which prompted the instructors to develop course notes based on it. The content of the course notes is a subset of the units of study in Collier's text. There is no required textbook for the course, and instructors use course notes as the primary resource for the class. Dr. Collier generously gave permission to use and adapt his materials and exercises for use in the Northern Kentucky University Geometry for Middle Grades Teachers course. The course notes have grown and developed over the semesters, but the general philosophy, spirit, and content of the course has stayed in line with Dr. Collier’s text.