How Teacher Educators can use the "Arithmetic Teacher"Author(s): Phares G. O'DafferSource: The Arithmetic Teacher, Vol. 29, No. 2 (October 1981), pp. 6, 57Published by: National Council of Teachers of MathematicsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41191940 .

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How Teacher Educators

can use the Arithmetic Teacher By Phares G. O'Daffer

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Recently a colleague described a workshop for inservice teachers in which she handed out Xeroxed sheets containing some excellent ideas that teachers could use the next day in their classrooms. After the initial excitement about trying these ideas, the teachers were informed that they had come fom the Arithmetic Teacher. Several of them were surprised to learn about the jour- nal or to learn that it contained so many useful ideas for teaching mathe- matics.

My own experiences have convinced me that mathematics educators find it worthwhile to investigate the possi- bilities the Arithmetic Teacher has for providing valuable experiences for our students. It may well be one of those valuable teaching resources that we have essentially overlooked.

For example, how could the Arith- metic Teacher help us in our methods classes for preservice teachers? An ini- tial activity at the beginning of the se- mester might be to have the students do a "scavenger hunt" in the Arith- metic Teacher A predesigned assign- ment sheet could be prepared. Ques- tions leading students to look at the special features of the Arithmetic Teacher- the "Let's Do It" article, the

Phares O'Daffer is a professor of mathematics at Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, and a member of the Editorial Panel.

6

"IDEAS" activity sheets, the "From the File" cards, the "Reader's Dia- logue" section, the "Reviewing and Viewing" columns, and the "One Point of View" essay - could be asked. This assignment would acquaint the stu- dents with the Arithmetic Teacher. It could also include questions requesting that the students bring back an impor- tant idea found in each of these sec- tions. An experience like this could be the first step in acquainting prospective teachers with a professional journal that is important to them. It can help them develop the habit of reading jour- nals such as this and searching for new ideas that will make their teaching a continuing growth experience.

In my methods class, I follow this initial experience with an assignment requiring the students to read at least ten articles from the Arithmetic Teacher during the course. I ask them to make a card file (using 5-by-7-inch cards) which include for each article (1) bibli- ographic data, (2) summary and cri- tique of major ideas, and (3) specific suggestions for use in the student's classroom. At the end of the course, students invariably indicate that this reading assignment has been enjoyable and valuable for them. I believe that several differences I have noticed on pre- and post-attitude inventories have come from the broadening effect re- sulting from these readings.

Another technique that has been suggested is that the methods instruc- tor make a bibliography card for each article in each new issue of the Arith- metic Teacher. The cards could be clas- sified by key areas of current emphasis in mathematics education (problem solving, calculators, computers, gifted

programs, and so on). As these topics come up in the methods course, se- lected students are assigned to read an article and give an "extra credit" re- port, make a bulletin board, or provide a duplicated critical summary of the article for others in the class. Because of the delays in publishing, it is well- known that methods texts are some- what behind in reflecting current trends in mathematics education. Be- cause articles in key areas are pro- cessed quickly, the Arithmetic Teacher is able to provide students with an up- to-date interpretation of current trends.

When persons who are now teaching stop by for a visit to their old methods instructor, the universal admonition for the preservice teachers is, "Have them make files and collect problems and activities now. They won't have time to do it later." The Arithmetic Teacher can be a great help in this en- deavor. Students can be encouraged to start a card file based on the "From the File" and "Challenge: for Able Stu- dents" departments. Suggest, also, that they use ideas from other articles in the journal to make their own file cards to add to their collection. It should also be noted that these particular features in the Arithmetic Teacher provide an early opportunity for preservice teach- ers with ideas to get them published. It is quite a thrill when a preservice teacher submits an idea for "From the File" and sees it in a subsequent issue of the Arithmetic Teacher. It is also quite a confidence builder.

Since the "Let's Do It" feature al- most always contains suggestions for physical materials which can be

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Arithmetic Teacher

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(Continued from page 6)

How Teacher Educators

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teacher-made and used in the class- room, a useful assignment for pre- service teachers involves actually mak- ing materials and preparing a lesson plan for incorporating these materials in a developmental sequence.

We often present ideas to preservice teachers involving pre-book experi- ences and follow-up experiences. These include motivational, developmental, practice, enrichment, and remediation activities. The "IDEAS" section of the Arithmetic Teacher is a rich source for these purposes. Students could be en- couraged to make file folders of "IDEAS" worksheets classified accord- ing to topic, grade level, or objectives. The "IDEAS" sheets could also be cat- egorized according to the pre-book and follow-up experiences.

As important as the "What do I do on Monday?" ideas are, it is also im- portant to encourage preservice teach- ers to expand their thoughts on trends, philosophy of teaching mathematics, and pedagogical techniques. One way to accomplish this is to assign readings that include the editorials in "One Point of View." To guide students in their reading or thinking, questions like the following can be asked: "What was the author's major point(s)?" "Do you agree with the position taken? Tell why or why not. Use another reference to support your position."

As students read other articles in the Arithmetic Teacher, it is instructive to ask them to rate the article on a scale of 1 to 10 and to make some brief com- ments with regard to their rating of the article. I have learned a lot about a given preservice teacher's philosophy of education through this particular ac- tivity.

I also have found it quite useful to present information regarding mem- bership in the NCTM and subscription to the Arithmetic Teacher near the end of the course. By that time students have seen the value of this journal and have developed a habit of reading the articles and using the ideas. I believe

the value of this association with a pro- fessional organization is significant and can make the difference between a teacher who "stays alive" and one who "dies on the vine."

The Arithmetic Teacher is not only a valuable adjunct to the preservice teacher program, but also a useful re- source in work with graduate students and inservice teachers. I have talked to several teacher educators who often build workshops around the content of an Arithmetic Teacher. The "Let's Do It" section provides material for a make-and-take session. The "IDEAS" and the other articles suggest a variety of techniques for classroom instruc- tion. If teachers are encouraged to share with other teachers both the jour- nal itself and the ideas in the journal, the results could be quite surprising.

Graduate students can be asked to analyze activities and articles in the Arithmetic Teacher carefully. Activities could be classified in terms of objec- tives, learning theories, research find- ings, and so on, and variations on the activities could be created. Back issues of the Arithmetic Teacher could be used to investigate the history of the development of elementary school mathematics and to ascertain how the emphasis has changed over a period of years. This could provide the basis for a discussion of current and future trends in mathematics education. The published results of the National As- sessment, reports of classroom re- search, the editorials, and other more theoretically oriented articles can be used to generate presentations and dis- cussions. The reviews of books and other materials can be compared with the results of analyses made by stu- dents using criteria they have devel- oped.

Finally, perhaps the greatest use we as teacher educators can make of the Arithmetic Teacher is to read the jour- nal ourselves. It can provide us with an extended background of "ideas that work." We can test these ideas when we work with children, look for varia- tions in other good or related ideas, and pass them on to others. •

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