Armando M. Martinez-Cruz, professor of mathematics, stands amidst four Buena Park High School math teachers who took part in the NSF-funded Teachers Assisting Students to Excel in Learning Mathematics program directed by David L. Pagni, professor of mathematics. Martinez-Cruz and five Buena Park High School teachers recently traveled to Atlanta, where they gave presentations before the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Pictured, from left are, Paul Sexton, Maria S. Fernandez, Martinez-Cruz, Isaura De León and Fernando M. Rodriquez. Photo by Patrick O’Donnel

Grant Partnership Brings Educators Together to Ultimately Help Students Learn Mathematics

Cal State Fullerton mathematics teachers are benefiting from a five-year National Science Foundation grant

July 2, 2007

By Pam McLaren

What’s more encouraging for educators than to see their students take what they have learned and use it to benefit others?

Cal State Fullerton mathematics teachers are experiencing that feeling, thanks to a five-year, $6,483,054 National Science Foundation grant awarded to David L. Pagni, professor of mathematics.

Armando Martinez-Cruz, professor of mathematics, knows that feeling. He recently joined five Buena Park High School teachers — who were his students in the NSF-funded Teachers Assisting Students to Excel in Learning Mathematics — in presenting motivational classroom strategies to entice students to learn mathematics.

The educators attended the March 21-24 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in Atlanta, where they presented two sessions: one, a combination of history, technology and geometry; and the other involving Latino students, language and mathematics.

Math teachers Fernando Rodriguez, Maria Fernandez, Isaura DeLeon, Greg Love, and Paul Sexton had planned for a year to share what they have learned while working with their own students and as students of Martinez-Cruz.

TASEL-M is an ongoing partnership between the Orange County Department of Education, Cal State Fullerton and math teachers at four high schools, seven middle schools and three continuation high schools.

The project was developed four years ago, says Pagni, “to build professional learning communities and provide professional development with the goal of raising student achievement and closing the achievement gap of these schools to the state average as a minimum.”

Teachers at participating schools work closely to create common agreement and common assessments in order to “offer an equitable curriculum to their students. They also create common lessons designed to increase student engagement and understanding of the concept(s) being taught,” Pagni says.

Each June, participants are invited to a retreat in which teachers share their successes and lessons learned form the previous year, Pagni adds. “At the August Institute, teachers receive professional development on mathematics content, how students learn and pedagogy research. They develop an action plan for the upcoming school year that is based on data from the previous year, including new benchmarks or department, district and state assessments.

Martinez-Cruz, a CSUF faculty member since 2000, was particularly proud of his co-presenters at the national conference. “It’s especially nice when your students become your colleagues,” he says. “That’s awesome.”

“We get no monetary incentive for our presentations. We are doing all of this because Dr. Martinez-Cruz got us more involved, and it’s fun!  I’m very grateful that I met him at Cal State Fullerton,” says Rodriguez.