Math & Science Graduate Fellows in K-12 Education

Fellow: Eric Erdmann, M.S. graduate fellow in Mathematics
Teacher: Barb Francis, Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, Mathematics grades 7-11

As an under graduate, I majored in math and math education.   I worked in high school briefly before coming back to school to obtain a masters degree in Applied and Computational Mathematics.  I am in my first year of graduate school, and am still exploring areas of mathematics in order to discover what I would be interested in researching.   Through the fellowship, I hope to become a better communicator of mathematics.  I hope to learn how to help students to see math in a different way.  I will learn how to effectively use inquiry to convey my knowledge of math to a variety of audiences.  I hope to better understand the teaching of math in a variety of grades in the K-12 education system.

At the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, I have already been involved with a variety of activities.  I have help with Wigwametry (making of model wigwams using geometry), basket making, and a field trip to a fur trading post.  So far these activities have tied Native American Culture to the lessons.   I hope to continue to do this with the lessons I will be teaching at the school.  I have also presented a project involved with basketball free throws, which I completed for a modeling with dynamical systems class. With this example, I was able to show students some applications of mathematics in the real world. Throughout the year, I hope to bring in more examples of how math can be applied to the real world and careers that involve mathematics.   Barb and I will also be working together to help students to better understand a variety of representations of math.  I hope to be another knowledgeable adult that students can go to if they have questions about mathematics.  I think that my presence in the classroom will help students to see how math can be applied outside of the classroom. 

Teams in Action

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Curriculum