IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute
HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER PROGRAM (HSTP)

HSTP at Summer Session
The PCMI Summer Session High School Teacher Program is a paradigm for the lifelong professional development of high school teachers, just as PCMI’s graduate summer school/research component is a paradigm for the lifelong professional development of a research mathematician. As such, the high school teacher program includes the following three components:

1. continued rigorous mathematical learning
2. reflection on classroom practice
3. research, production, and dissemination of materials for other teachers and their students.

Reflecting these components, the PCMI summer session for high school teachers has three strands:

1. "The Euclidean algorithm and its applications to algebra and the theory of numbers." (2 hours per day, 5 days per week.) Focused exclusively on learning mathematics by working problems together, this course will explore the fundamental algorithm on which much of arithmetic and algebra is based. Teacher-leaders: Bowen Kerins, Ryota Matsuura, Jamil Siddiqui, (all from PROMYS for TEACHERS, Boston University).

Careful work on this topic is what allows teachers (and students) to understand exactly how elementary and more advanced procedures of algebra derive from and generalize those of arithmetic. The course will be structured so that each participant can work at his/her own level. Those who are more mathematically advanced may be asked to help those with less preparation. The focus of this strand will be entirely on mathematics; focus on classroom practice and techniques will be provided by the other two components of the summer session.

2. "Math in the classroom - reflections on practice." (1 hour per day, 5 days per week, plus opportunities for informal sessions in late afternoon and evenings.)  The participants will actively investigate, consider, and discuss examples illustrating concepts and connections in school mathematics and will reflect on how such ideas can shape classroom teaching.  Classroom examples will be included, learning from other teachers and sharing some of their own work as well.   The role of technology, including calculators, will be considered.   Opportunities for learning to use technology will be available in small informal sessions. Teacher-leader: Philip Mallinson (Phillips Exeter Academy).

3. Working Groups (2 hours, 4 days a week): Every participant in the High School Teacher Program pre-selects one of the following working groups:

Number theory and algebra
Data analysis, statistics and probability
Physics in the mathematics curriculum
Geometrical concepts from constructions, models, and investigations
Interesting mathematics for uninterested students
Mathematics and the Internet
New: Japanese lesson study

Over a 1-3 year period, the working groups will:

• review and critique existing materials and activities for the selected topic in the secondary curriculum,
• prepare and pilot 1-3 units or activities, together with the associated mathematics,
• critique and select units from among these new activities for eventual publication.

Each Working Group will be composed of several teacher-participants and one or two resource personnel. The group will work together to research existing classroom materials and techniques, related technology, etc., for its topic and then create 1-3 classroom activity units, including a presentation of the underlying mathematics, for dissemination and eventual publication in a PCMI volume of classroom materials.  There are many ways for teachers to participate in the working groups, and each participant is encouraged to operate in their area of expertise, e.g. writing, presenting, creating, etc.

Resource personnel for the various groups include: James King (University of Washington), Robert Stein and Susan Addington (California State University at San Bernardino), Al Cuoco (Education Development Center), Philip Mallinson (Phillips Exeter Academy), Annie Fetter and Sheldon Berman (MathForum), Roger Verhey (University of Michigan-Dearborn), Bill Finzer (Key Curriculum Press), the University of Washington Physics Education Group, and representatives from the PCMI Research, Undergraduate Faculty, and Math Education Research Programs.

Applicants will be asked to rank their first, second, and third choice of Working Group on the application form. After applicants are accepted and named to a Working Group, some preparation in the form of reading or materials review may be suggested by working group leaders.

Click here for a more in-depth description of each group.

The Summer Session is a 3-week residential program in Park City, Utah, and is part of the larger PCMI program.  Teachers are given full support and a stipend during the Summer Session.  In addition, 6 quarter-credits of 400-level mathematics are available from the University of Washington for a nominal fee.

HSTP Year-long Program of Professional Development and Outreach Groups
Teachers are strongly encouraged to take advantage of additional opportunities through involvement in PCMI’s Professional Development and Outreach groups. These groups, based at cooperating university sites around the country, meet regularly throughout the school year and are usually composed of (although not limited to) teachers living in the same geographic region of the country. Other PDO groups may be formed from common professional interests, rather than geographic proximity, and would utilize technology for virtual meetings.

Teachers in the PDO groups meet regularly to

• deepen their understanding of mathematics,
• develop their skills in and understandings of effective teaching of mathematics,
• prepare professional development workshops for high school teachers and conference presentations.

The classic PDO group is facilitated by a cooperating university or college faculty person.

Professional Development and Outreach groups currently active:
(PDO facilitator(s) in italics):

Boston University, Boston, MA (PROMYS for TEACHERS); Glenn Stevens, ghs@math.bu.edu

California State University at San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA; Robert Stein, bstein@csusb.edu

Duke University, Durham, NC; Jack Bookman, bookman@math.duke.edu

Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (Ross Summer Mathematics Program for Teachers); Daniel Shapiro, shapiro@math.ohio-state.edu

Rice University, Houston, TX; John Polking, polking@rice.edu

Rider University, Lawrenceville/Trenton, NJ; Charles Schwartz, schwartz@rider.edu; Ciprian Borcea, borcea@rider.edu

Rutgers University-Newark Campus, Newark, NJ; David Keys, keys@andromeda.rutgers.edu

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH; David Minda, david.minda@math.uc.edu; Charles Groetsch, groetsch@uc.edu

University of Louisville, Louisville, KY; Steven Seif, swseif01@louisville.edu; Prasanna Sahoo, pksaho01@louisville.edu; Robert Ronau, bob@louisville.edu

University of Michigan at Dearborn, Dearborn, MI; Roger Verhey, rverhey@umd.umich.edu

University of Washington, Seattle, WA; James King, king@math.washington.edu

Alumni groups:

Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA; (facilitator position open, contact giesbrec@ias.edu)

Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID; Robert Fisher, fishrobe@isu.edu

Purdue University; (facilitator position open, contact giesbrec@ias.edu)

Rhode Island College, Providence, RI; (facilitator position open, contact giesbrec@ias.edu)

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL; Naomi Fisher, ndfisher@uic.edu

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; James Carlson, carlson@math.utah.edu

University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX; Gary Hamrick, hamrick@math.utexas.edu

PCMI is always interested in forming new Professional Development and Outreach groups and invites teachers or university faculty to consider forming such a group for future involvmenet in PCMI. Groups of 5-10 teachers and 1-2 university support persons are invited to apply. (Groups interested in applying should contact Catherine Giesbrecht, PCMI Administrator, at 609-734-8290 or by email: giesbrec@ias.edu.)

Affiliated Programs

Three PDO groups host their own summer institutes for teachers, concurrently with the PCMI Summer Institute in Park City. Teacher participants from these regions are encouraged to complete the local summer program before applying to the Park City summer program. These groups are:

PROMYS for TEACHERS (at Boston University). This program is in session concurrently with the PCMI Summer Session.
Ross Summer Mathematics Program for Teachers (at the Ohio State University).  This program is in session concurrently with the PCMI Summer Session.
Northwest Mathematics Interaction (at the University of Washington).  This program is in session in August and throughout the school year.

Application Guidelines and Forms

PCMI Summer Session Page

PCMI Home Page

questions or concerns should be directed to C. Giesbrecht