Transforming Practices in Mathematics Teaching and Learning through Effective Partnerships

Abstract

This is the story of a partnership between a university professor of mathematics (the first author) and a high school mathematics teacher (the second author). It started in 2007 through the Teacher Partnership Program of the Association for Women in Mathematics. They describe a succession of joint projects designed to benefit students from middle school to college. The partnership began with informal visits to one another’s classrooms and engagement with a high school mathematics team. The association extended to include a research experiences for undergraduates program in 2009. In 2011 the collaboration continued in the STEM Accelerator Program at the College of Science at George Mason University (GMU). The GMU collaborative work included a summer camp for middle school girls called FOCUS and a transitional program for prospective and incoming college students called STEM Boot Camp. They describe these programs and say something about their impact on the student participants. The authors also reflect on what they have learned from the collaboration over the years and how their partnership has affected their professional lives.