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, interventionists, 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 instructional materials, and reading related research to better understand trajectories of learning. They also support the 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.
Whether you take the program as a certificate of completion focused on deepening understanding of mathematics and ambitious and equitable mathematics instruction, or a TSPC specialization extending the focus to include mathematics teacher leadership, the evening or summer weeklong intensive courses are designed to accommodate working professionals. Courses are offered off-campus throughout the Portland metro area or in a hybrid format, and can be completed in any order. If you're interested in a master's degree, program courses can even be integrated into a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction!
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.
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.”
For answers to frequently asked questions, visit the Mathematics Instructional Leader Program FAQ.
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.