College of Education

Deepening Understanding of Mathematics Teaching, Learning, and Leading

Certificate of Completion or Specialization

Deepening Understanding of Mathematics Teaching, Learning, and Leading

Students raising their hands in a library

Quick Facts

  • Available as a certificate of completion focused on deepened understanding of mathematics and ambitious mathematics instruction or a TSPC Specialization – extending the focus to include mathematics instructional leadership
  • Evening or summer weeklong intensive courses accommodate working professionals
  • Courses offered off-campus in a hybrid format and completed in any order
  • Courses can be used for professional development or integrated into a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction

Teaching math is about more than numbers. Educators guide students along well-connected learning pathways. They instill self-confidence and the belief math makes sense. They support productive struggle and offer thought-provoking challenges. This program is for teachers, teacher leaders, and coaches who are seeking a deeper understanding of the mathematics they teach and the effective and equitable practices shown to make a difference in mathematics learning.

The content-focused pedagogy courses engage educators with exploring mathematics, sharing and discussing the work of their students, analyzing tasks and curriculum materials, and reading related research to better understand trajectories of learning. They also support development of instructional practice that engages each and every student as mathematical knowers, doers, and sense makers. The mathematics teacher leadership courses develop the advocacy and leadership knowledge and skills needed to facilitate instructional improvement and promote change. Our graduates are prepared to lead at the classroom-, school-, district-, and state-levels  and beyond.

Program coordinator

Nicole Rigelman
rigelman@pdx.edu
503-725-4619

Admissions Advisor

Tatiana Nochevnaya
askcoe@pdx.edu
503-725-9786*
Book an appointment

*You can text me!

Program Benefits

  • Deepen mathematical content knowledge, including the specialized knowledge needed for teaching mathematics and understanding the development of mathematical ideas across the grades
  • Attend to mathematics content, pedagogy, and ways that teachers support the learning of both the content and practices
  • Develop expertise in using and helping others use equitable and effective instructional practices centered on students’ mathematical thinking and identity development
  • Increase ability to support school and district efforts that help each and every student learn important mathematics
  • Experience incredible value: Learn from experienced teachers—and do so in convenient locations and formats

Program Specifics

  • Translate theory into practice through field-based assignments and practica
  • Attend courses in the evening during the academic year and as weeklong intensive courses in the summer
  • Participate from off-campus locations throughout the Portland metro area in a hybrid format. Schedule and location details available from course instructor(s)
  • Complete courses individually, in any order

About the program

Program instruction models research-informed best practices in delivery and supports development of such practices. What participants are saying:

About mathematics…
“Through this course, I have had a fundamental shift in my thinking. I came into the course open-minded with no clear expectations of what it was going to be like. What I encountered was a fast-paced, thought provoking, and challenging examination of not only what math is but what it means to really teach math.”

About teaching…
“I am both anxious and excited about experimenting with all of the things that I have learned. It is one thing to know that it is the way that it should be done but another to actually implement. I think that it will be a process. It is a new way of teaching math for me and will take some time. As long as I remind myself of that, and continue to focus on students and their thinking, we will make progress together.”

About learning…
“An important takeaway ... is that ALL STUDENTS are capable of learning. Math thinking is molded and shaped in ways that are as unique as the student who is doing the thinking. Yes, some students will learn faster and some will learn slower, but all paths are justified, and all students have the right to learn math in a way that meets their needs. There is no special math club that only a select few students can have membership [in]. All students are mathematicians.”

Our graduates

Our graduates serve as classroom teachers, mathematics teacher leaders, new teacher mentors, mathematics/instructional coaches, mathematics intervention specialists, and district mathematics specialists. They work in schools and school districts; education service districts (ESDs); curriculum or professional development organizations.

Why PSU?

PSU’s Deepening Math program is unique. It offers a Certificate of Completion as well as two Mathematics Instructional Leader (MIL) licensure options. PSU is the only Oregon university approved to offer both levels––PreK-Grade 8 and Grades 6-12––of the MIL Specialization granted by the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC).

Students interested in the Certificate of Completion take the set of Content-Focused Pedagogy Courses that integrate simultaneous learning of mathematics with learning about impactful instructional approaches. MIL licensure students complete the Content-Focused Pedagogy Courses as well as three advanced methods and leadership courses with embedded practica.

We offer a welcoming and inclusive environment that unlocks the potential of students of all life stages, viewpoints, and backgrounds and supports them in developing strong convictions and fearless confidence critical to school improvement.

For answers to frequently asked questions, visit the Mathematics Instructional Leader Program FAQ.