2012-13 Mathematics Graduate Course Work Scholarships for Grades 6-8 Teachers Recipient

Katie Hendrickson Summer Mathematics Enhancement

I believe that further mathematics courses will help me to see relationships among mathematical concepts and explain those relationships to my students. The topics in the courses I plan to take align well with the 7th grade pre-algebra topics that I teach. Part of teaching is to ensure that students master foundational skills, in this case, writing, evaluating, and comparing multiple forms of linear equations. By taking advanced mathematics courses that expand upon those concepts, I will have a better understanding of how these topics fit into the wider field of mathematics, thus enabling me to answer student questions more accurately. I will also know what skills to emphasize and how to help my students transition their skills to more advanced topics. I also believe that working with and holding mathematical discussions with mathematics professors will help sharpen my mathematical vocabulary and proper mathematical notation used in my teaching.