Lower Secondary School Teacher Training in Mathematics
Degree programme objectives
This study track is designed to prepare primary and lower secondary school teachers of mathematics (in combination with another subject). This subject belongs to the educational area Mathematics and its applications as described in the Framework Educational Programme for Elementary Education. The study field provides the students with knowledge and skills in mathematics and its didactics,in pedagogy and psychology disciplines with regard to topical research findings, skills in reflection on the educational process at the relevant types and levels of schools, the ability to self-reflect in the role of teacher and the acceptance of moral and ethical demands on teachers.The objective of the study is the preparation of graduates for the profession of primary and lower secondary school mathematics teacher, and to further the development of essential values and positions of graduates so that they become active, responsible, and independent members of their professional mathematical group and society.
Through studying for the Master’s degree graduates gain the necessary competences that allow them to critically apply the use of their pedagogical and psychological knowledge in practice as a teacher at a primary or secondary school. Graduates are fully qualified to pursue the profession of a teacher. They are ready to base their professional conduct on well-structured knowledge and skills from their fields of approbation (content knowledge). The effectiveness of their professional conduct is conditioned by their subject-didactic (pedagogical content knowledge) and broader pedagogical and psychological knowledge and skills (knowledge of the broader background of education, knowledge of educational practices, knowledge about people involved in education, etc.).
The degree develops students’ analytical and comparative skills, which enable them to understand the diverse pedagogical reality and to use subject-specific, pedagogical, and psychological publications in their work for planning, implementing and reflecting on educational activities. They develop communication skills important for communication and collaboration with pupils/clients, colleagues in the workplace, with parents of pupils/clients and with practitioners. An important benefit of the degree is the development of self-reflective skills that provide space for the development of attitudes towards one another, to educated individuals and to the profession: perception of the responsibility of the teaching profession, the acceptance of the moral obligations of a helping profession and its ethics.
The studies emphasise the principle of interdisciplinarity (interconnection of some pedagogical and psychological subjects) and the principle of sequence and gradation of themes and courses, from the more general to the more specific. The concept is also characterized by the interdependence of theory and practice. An important part of the concept is the reflective teaching practice. The principles of reflection on teaching practice and self-reflection are related both to practice and to other experience-oriented subjects. An important part of the concept is also the promotion of inclusion, which is perceived as a cross-curricular theme (also supported by a separate course).
Study plans
Studies
- ObjectivesThis study track is designed to prepare primary and lower secondary school teachers of mathematics (in combination with another subject). This subject belongs to the educational area Mathematics and its applications as described in the Framework Educational Programme for Elementary Education. The study field provides the students with knowledge and skills in mathematics and its didactics,in pedagogy and psychology disciplines with regard to topical research findings, skills in reflection on the educational process at the relevant types and levels of schools, the ability to self-reflect in the role of teacher and the acceptance of moral and ethical demands on teachers.
The objective of the study is the preparation of graduates for the profession of primary and lower secondary school mathematics teacher, and to further the development of essential values and positions of graduates so that they become active, responsible, and independent members of their professional mathematical group and society.
Through studying for the Master’s degree graduates gain the necessary competences that allow them to critically apply the use of their pedagogical and psychological knowledge in practice as a teacher at a primary or secondary school. Graduates are fully qualified to pursue the profession of a teacher. They are ready to base their professional conduct on well-structured knowledge and skills from their fields of approbation (content knowledge). The effectiveness of their professional conduct is conditioned by their subject-didactic (pedagogical content knowledge) and broader pedagogical and psychological knowledge and skills (knowledge of the broader background of education, knowledge of educational practices, knowledge about people involved in education, etc.).
The degree develops students’ analytical and comparative skills, which enable them to understand the diverse pedagogical reality and to use subject-specific, pedagogical, and psychological publications in their work for planning, implementing and reflecting on educational activities. They develop communication skills important for communication and collaboration with pupils/clients, colleagues in the workplace, with parents of pupils/clients and with practitioners. An important benefit of the degree is the development of self-reflective skills that provide space for the development of attitudes towards one another, to educated individuals and to the profession: perception of the responsibility of the teaching profession, the acceptance of the moral obligations of a helping profession and its ethics.
The studies emphasise the principle of interdisciplinarity (interconnection of some pedagogical and psychological subjects) and the principle of sequence and gradation of themes and courses, from the more general to the more specific. The concept is also characterized by the interdependence of theory and practice. An important part of the concept is the reflective teaching practice. The principles of reflection on teaching practice and self-reflection are related both to practice and to other experience-oriented subjects. An important part of the concept is also the promotion of inclusion, which is perceived as a cross-curricular theme (also supported by a separate course).
- Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:
- Work as a mathematics teacher at primary and lower secondary schools.
- Notice the application of mathematics in other fields, including the school environment, and point out the connections between mathematics and other school subjects.
- Develop professional knowledge and competence and extend their knowledge of mathematics and related sciences.
- Work in various civic institutions devoted to pedagogical activities or mentoring.
- Plan, implement and reflect on their own teaching at the appropriate level of established professional competences.
- Use basic professional terminology and information sources of pedagogical and school psychology in describing, analysing, interpreting and evaluating typical teaching situations, describing the educational environment of the school where they taught.
- Use basic methods and tools of pedagogical diagnostics in teaching and gain data which is available for the support of an individual pupil/client. The results can be communicated appropriately to pupils, teachers, parents and other professionals.
- Explain and to reflect on the principles of inclusive education at the level of culture, politics and practice of the school in their educational activities.
- Create an inclusive environment in the classroom, to apply at least some strategies of individualization and differentiation in teaching;.
- Describe and individually explain specific learning processes with a specific example from their portfolio.
- Reflect on the experience of their own teaching practice in the professional community and to use reflection and self-reflection as a tool of professional learning: to critically evaluate their attitudes towards education and assess how they behave.
- Occupational Profiles of GraduatesThe graduates are fully qualified mathematics teachers for primary and lower secondary schools and the corresponding level of secondary grammar schools. They are also qualified for work in out of school (e.g. leisure time activities) institutions. They are ready to base their professional activities on well-structured knowledge and competences in mathematics. The efficiency of their professional behaviour is based on the didactical knowledge of the content of mathematics teaching in primary and lower secondary schools and wider general knowledge and competences in pedagogy and psychology (knowledge about the wider basis of the elements of education, knowledge of education process theories, knowledge about the participants in education, etc.).
- Regulated Professions
- Teacher of the second level of primary school
- Practical TrainingThe teaching practice is conceived as a coherent and gradated system with an emphasis on interconnection with theory and reflection and self-reflection of the student as a teacher.
The aim of the teaching practice is to acquire the professional competences necessary in the daily work of the teacher, to become acquainted with the roles which the teacher enters into in their work, to realize their own professional needs and to gradually take responsibility for the planning, implementation and evaluation of lessons. Throughout the teaching practice, students get a real idea of what a teacher's everyday work involves.
The teaching practice forms a coherent system of consecutive subjects. In the follow-up master's programmes, these are the subjects Teaching Practice 1 (1st semester), Teaching Practice 2 (2nd semester) and Teaching Practice 3 (3rd semester). In total, this makes up 280 hours (double-subject programme), followed by Seminar on Teaching Practice. Students enrol in the Seminar on Teaching Practice 1 twice during their studies (in the first and second semesters). The aim of the reflection is to provide students with a space for sharing and reflecting on experiences from their own teaching practice and helping them to deepen their reflective and self-reflective skills.
The system of teaching practice is regularly evaluated both through open and closed questions, both by students and the mentor teachers. The reflective seminars are also evaluated.
- Goals of ThesesIn the final thesis, the students will show that they are familiar with the literature relevant for the particular area of mathematics or didactics of mathematics, they can adequately determine starting point of the thesis and can suggest methods of approaching the problem in question. In the theses in didactics of mathematics, the students can design adequate qualitative or quantitative research. In the case of quantitative study, they will adequately analyse it using statistical methods and will draw conclusions from that analysis.
Students will show they are able to work with sources. All the information used in the text must be cited according to the current norm. Apart from the work with the sources, the students must also be able to formulate their own ideas.
In the final thesis, the students will also prove their stylistic competence necessary for preparing such a text. The text of the thesis should not contain grammatical mistakes.
The final work of the student demonstrates the ability to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the course of study in working on a specific professional-pedagogical problem. The type of final thesis corresponds to the content and level of the given degree of study. The student chooses from the following types of works: a) theoretical-applied, b) theoretical-empirical (research), c) theoretical. The types of work and recommendations for their implementation are further guided by the APA manual. The length of the final thesis ranges from 117,000 to 200,000 characters, including gaps, i. e. 65-80 standard pages.
The standards for the implementation of the final theses at different departments are in accordance with the Dean's Instructions No. 1/2015 on implementation of the final work (Bachelor's, Master’s, post-graduate non-PhD and final works for Life-long Education) in the version effective from 1.11.2015.
The thesis follows the following goals based on the profile of the graduate of the Faculty of Education of MU. Students:
- demonstrate an awareness of the current issues of their field of study, they can clearly and comprehensibly define the topic of the final thesis and its objectives, describe the initial state of knowledge and propose appropriate methods of achieving their stated goals;
- work with appropriate primary and secondary sources of information, cite them according to a valid standard (APA) and in accordance with the ethics of academic work ;
- through the creation of their own text they demonstrate stylistic competence, and the ability to create an academic text;
- demonstrate the ability to ask questions and solve problems, to formulate new ideas and conclusions that bring at least some new knowledge about the phenomenon being studied, or enrich the methodological (in the area of research) or methodical (in the area of education) procedures in relation to clearly defined target groups (pupils at primary and secondary school, groups with specific educational needs, etc.).
- Access to Further StudiesThe graduate of the Master's degree "Mathematics teaching for primary and lower secondary schools" may continue in the doctoral study programme "Pedagogy" with a focus on the theory of mathematics teaching or in another doctoral programme focusing on the applications of mathematics (e.g. General aspects of mathematics, History of mathematics, etc.)