Program Overview

I will be announcing in the near future here on the blog some changes to the M.A. in Mathematics for Teachers program that have passed through some approval steps. I am currently waiting for some final approval by the Faculty of Graduate studies. The changes are quite minor on the surface, but include new calendar text, admissions requirements, degree requirements and significant changes to the course offerings.

In the past months I have found myself writing what this program is about over and over. Many of the times that I have written this program overview, the description goes into some document which is very unlikely to be read by anyone (and especially unlikely to be read by the students of this program). For this reason I thought I should record at least one version of this in electronic form. I also welcome comments on the following text. If you feel that it does not accurately reflect the reality of this program feel free to leave your feedback.

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The M.A. in Mathematics for Teachers has been offered by the department of Mathematics and Statistics as a stand alone degree since the mid 1970s. The purpose of this program has been to offer an opportunity for elementary, high school and college teachers to increase the breath of their mathematical knowledge to give a broader context to the mathematics that they teach in their own classrooms.

Students are enrolled in the program on a part time basis. It is designed to welcome students that may have completed their university studies a significant time in the past. Courses for this degree are clearly distinguished through their numbering with the first digit 5 while the courses in our regular M.A. degree are numbered with first digit 6. In order to achieve the goals of the program, the requirements are more course intensive than our regular M.A. program. The range of courses offered for this degree gives students an historic perspective as well as chances to practice techniques of problem solving, writing, and presenting mathematics since these aspects of the discipline are relevant for teachers of mathematics at any level.

York University also offers a graduate diploma in Mathematics Education that may be taken concurrently with the M.A. in Mathematics for Teachers degree or an M.A. program with the Education department or as a stand alone diploma. The diploma focuses on mathematics education as an area of study grounded in critical examination of teaching practice, learning theories, and curriculum related to the teaching and learning of mathematics. It is designed to provide opportunities for graduate level study of theories and research in Mathematics Education and may be taken in conjunction with the M.A. in Mathematics for Teachers to prepare a student for study in Education at the Ph.D. level. Several recent graduates of the diploma in Mathematics Education have gone on to do graduate work in Education at York University and OISE/U of T.

This degree is part time program and classes are scheduled in the evenings to accommodate students who have employment teaching during the day. Prerequisites for the courses generally do not require that students have a recent training in mathematics, but the expectation is that the coursework will build on knowledge familiar to students that have had past experience in mathematics and are now required to teach mathematics. This program does not prepare students for study at the Ph.D. level in mathematics nor does it lead to teacher certification in Ontario.