George Kuster, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics
Course Description: This course provides experiences related to teaching and learning within the context of K-12+ classrooms. The experiences provided are intended to challenge student notions of education in terms of both what it means to learn and what it means to teach. Specifically, this course aims to problematize learning and teaching and therefore develop an intellectual need for exploring and answering questions such as, “what does effective instruction look like,” “what specialized knowledge is required to implement such instruction,” “what do students need to do to learn” and, “how does one utilize student ideas to support their construction of knowledge.” In short, student experiences will serve as a primer for subsequent academic and professional learning by exposing many of the complexities involved in teaching and learning, and, thus developing a need for learning the skills and knowledge required for implementing effective instruction. A 30-hour field experience in a professional academic setting is required. Assistance in finding a suitable experience will be provided.