Middlesex Community College: MCC's Math Department Provides Networking For Education Students

Press release from the Middlesex Community College:

Caitlin Buckley

7/15/2021

By building relationships with local businesses, organizations and institutions, Middlesex Community College is able to enhance students’ academic experiences. To help prepare future educators, MCC’s Mathematics department collaborated with local public schools to allow Middlesex students an opportunity to connect with elementary classroom teachers.

Created during the pandemic, the program was called Teacher Talks and ran on Zoom. Every month, students listened to local elementary school teachers present a lesson plan layout, talk about strategies related to teaching math, and give advice for working in the classroom. Students also had the opportunity to ask questions and network with the professionals. For those students who were not available to join live, the department had a recording they could watch later.

“With the Teacher Talks, they had to write up a report on it, reflecting on what they learned and what they found interesting and important,” said Linda Dart-Kathios, MCC’s Department Chair of Mathematics. “We’re hoping that having professional connections provides students with somebody in the school district that they can talk to and ask about what’s going on in the field.”

From Billerica, Rosemeen Khalifa graduated from Middlesex in Spring 2021 with an associate degree in Elementary Education. While she found her required mathematics courses to be beneficial on its own, the addition of the Teacher Talks made the experience more meaningful.

“These experiences were very valuable to me because they not only taught me good tips on how to carry out an effective lesson plan to a class, but they also taught me ways to be an effective teacher where I can be an enthusiastic, energetic and positive role model for my future students –where they have fun along with learning and making their minds grow,” Khalifa said. “I hope I can incorporate these valuable experiences into my own future class settings!”

As the elementary school teachers covered concepts that the MCC students had just gone over in their coursework, this made the talks more relevant, according to Robyn McDonough, MCC Associate Professor of Mathematics.

“We asked the teachers to give them some ideas of what they do in the classroom,” McDonough said. “It was nice because the teachers were very different – even in their mannerisms and personalities. All seemed really interesting to listen to, talking about their topics and going over what they cover, how they cover it, lessons they would go through, and some of the sticking points in places where kids get thrown off.”

Much of what the professional teachers talked about in their presentations stuck with Khalifa, including the value of connecting with students and remembering that every student is different.

In her Teacher Talk, elementary school teacher Beth Tobin spoke of the importance of games, tools and activities for helping students better understand math concepts, according to Khalifa. Tobin – who teaches in Billerica – found it rewarding to help MCC students gain a better idea of what it is like to work in a classroom, beyond the theory they learn in lectures.

“I really appreciated the energy and enthusiasm that the MCC students had as future educators,” Tobin said. “They asked terrific questions and seemed interested and engaged in what I was saying. I very much enjoyed my experience with MCC and hope to do it again in the future. Robyn and her colleagues do a great job.”

Fitchburg elementary school teacher Sara Hopkins gave advice on how to help students develop good learning habits, according to Khalifa. Hopkins enjoyed interacting with MCC students in the Teacher Talks, and believes that having these types of opportunities are “a great jumping off point” for coming to understand their future careers.

“The students were attentive and had some fantastic questions for me,” Hopkins said. “They showed genuine interest and deep reflection on what they heard. I think I benefitted from the experience as much as they did.”

In addition to learning new teaching methods, Khalifa believes her and her classmates gained “valuable firsthand insight on how it is to be a teacher in an elementary classroom,” before they even enter the field or continue their education to earn a bachelor’s or advanced degree.

“They are very early in their career in terms of teaching, but Middlesex does a really great job of trying to get them into the field,” Dart-Kathios said. “This was a way we could actually focus in on the math.”

The Mathematics and Education programs at MCC helps students go into – and succeed in – the workforce or transfer to four-year schools with its award-winning and affordable offerings, small class sizes and flexible schedules. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/discover/ for more information and to discover your path at Middlesex.

Featuring on campus, online and a hybrid mix of both course formats and a variety of student support services and resources, MCC is registering now for the Fall 2021 semester. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu or call 1-800-818-3434 to register for classes.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!

This press release was produced by the Middlesex Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.