When Aaron Feik met Loyce Adams at a math retreat, he knew they'd be in touch again. As assistant director of curriculum for math and science in the Northshore School District, Feik was eager to tap into the UW's mathematics expertise. Adams, UW associate professor of applied mathematics, seemed equally interested in reaching out to K-12 schools. "Down the pike, when I could use some help, I'll give you a call," Feik recalls telling Adams.

	Tom Howe, a graduate student in the Department of Applied Mathematics, works with sixth graders--and their teacher--at Sunrise Elementary School on a weekly basis. Photo by Kathy Sauber.

That call came a year later and has led to a partnership involving more than a dozen UW graduate students, three UW faculty, 42 Northshore elementary school teachers, and colleagues at the University Child Development School (UCDS).

The partnership began when the Northshore School District was faced with choosing a new math curriculum. Two curricula were being considered, and Feik thought Adams might be able to help with the decision. Adams viewed the request as a possible project for the Applied Math Clinic and sent an email to the department's graduate students to gauge their interest. "Within 20 minutes, I had nearly a dozen volunteers," recalls Adams. "I couldn't believe the response."

Deciding between the two curricula was "a huge project," says Adams, who created teams of faculty and graduate students--each assigned to a specific grade level--to review both curricula in detail. Ka Kit Tung, chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics, and Virginia Warfield, senior lecturer in the Department of Mathematics, helped Adams with this task. To familiarize the graduate students with the basics of K-6 education, Adams also had them visit UCDS, a private school in Seattle. "UCDS has an exemplary math program," explains Adams, "and is close to campus. We see it as our laboratory. Students observed in the classroom twice and discussed their observations at length."

After months of review, the UW volunteers recommended that the Northshore School District adopt a curriculum called "Everyday Math." But recognizing that the new curriculum might be overwhelming at first, their recommendation came with a caveat: teachers should receive extra support during the first year of implementation. They suggested that a part-time math specialist be assigned to each school.

That's when things got really interesting.

"Often, working with four teachers, the graduate students are doing four different things. Each teacher and class is unique."

"After making the recommendation, we thought, 'If we can find the money, what about having our graduate students serve as the math specialists?'" recalls Adams. "They are not experts in how to deliver the information--how to teach--but they are experts in math content. We figured that teaching math at a different level, our students would get valuable experience explaining math to non-majors and working collaboratively in a group."

Excited by the project's possibilities, Adams applied for and received funding from the UW's Tools for Transformation project, the Department of Applied Mathematics, and the National Science Foundation. The funding supports nine graduate students (seven from Applied Math and two from Mathematics) as math specialists in the Northshore School District. Each works with four teachers, all at the same grade level, for a half day every two weeks. Another half dozen students and Professor Adams each work with one teacher on a volunteer basis. All of the math specialists meet weekly at the Applied Math Clinic to discuss their experiences in the schools.

What exactly do the graduate students do as math specialists? Whatever is needed. Their participation varies from class to class, depending on the teachers' needs and priorities. "Some teachers have needed extra eyes and ears in the classroom, while others have needed to solidify their own math skills," says Adams. "One graduate student is working with a group of very advanced students in the classroom. Often, working with four teachers, the graduate students are doing four different things. Each teacher and class is unique."

Graduate student Tom Howe, for one, is thrilled to have this opportunity to work in the schools. "I remember sitting in a calculus class when I had a `Eureka' experience," he says. "I'd like everyone to have that." Howe works with one teacher on curriculum issues and works directly with students in another class, sometimes giving presentations on subjects not normally covered in the math curriculum. "The kids are delightful--bright, attentive, curious," he says. "I feel I'm having an impact."

Ann Swain heartily agrees. "The kids glommed onto him," says Swain, a sixth grade teacher at Sunrise Elementary School, who is partnered with Howe. "He's made a huge difference in the students' understanding. He knows the children and they know him. Math is his passion. He stretches their mind, answers the tough questions. They're really excited by learning."

Even teachers who are not partnered with a graduate student can reap the benefits of this collaboration. The graduate students have created online materials, including curriculum suggestions and "math vitamins"--a UCDS term for creative problems that are fun for children and can be adjusted for individual skill levels.

Aaron Feik, whose request to Loyce Adams got the ball rolling, is thrilled with the success of the collaboration. "It would be easy for something like this not to work--for the teachers to be suspicious of outside experts and to think that they were being confronted with another group of `paper pushers' who want to change education without knowing what's going on," he says. "But this partnership has enabled teachers to face problems together with graduate students. I see the effects of what we're doing flowing to the classroom teachers, the students, and the doctoral students. We'd like to make this partnership an ongoing Northshore program."

Adams also hopes to continue the effort. "It would be great if we could sustain this long enough to really build a relationship with teachers in the district," says Adams. To that end, she has collaborated with the Northshore and Kent districts--both of which use the Everyday Math curriculum--and the UCDS to propose a workshop to train 100 teachers this summer.

"The program is continuing to evolve," Adams says. "The possibilities are quite exciting. Eventually, we hope to impact more teachers and other school districts."

[Related Stories]

A Clinic for Real-Life Math Problems

[Winter 1999- Table of Contents]