Measuring Up:  An Elementary and Middle School Experience

An Eisenhower Professional Development Project

2002

Home | Overview | Staff | Activities | Teachers' Reflections | Evaluators' Comments | News Releases


An Overview of Measuring Up

Measuring Up: An Elementary and Middle School Experience is a research-based, professional development program.  It began in 1997 and for the first two years focused on middle school mathematics teaching in DeKalb School District number 428. As middle school teachers incorporated reform methods in their classrooms, they commented that elementary school students should have more exposure to  reform-based mathematics education. As a result, in 1999, Measuring Up began providing an in-service program for elementary school teachers.  This program has continued every year since 1999. Please see the Measuring Up Links Page for information about the experiences of the previous years with this program.

The goal of Measuring Up is to provide school teachers (and ultimately their students) with real-world-based, mathematical problem solving experiences. The program encourages discussion and reflection about these problem-solving experiences.  It includes both the mathematical content, and the development of  professional knowledge through inquiry-based mathematics teaching.

Elementary and middle school teachers (K-6) from the DeKalb area participated in the 2002 project. The sessions were held after school hours at Brooks Elementary School in DeKalb during the winter and spring. Each session included explorations of mathematics concepts via problem solving activities which included discussion and reflections about the varieties of solution strategies that were used.  Also assigned readings, sharing of participants' classroom experiences, observations, and reflections were discussed.

Project Co-Directors

Dr. Helen Khoury, hkhoury@math.niu.edu
Dr. Ellen Hines, hines@math.niu.edu        
Department of Mathematical Sciences 
Northern Illinois University 
DeKalb, IL  60115
815.753.0566