As nearly 200,000 students are back in school, teacher training in math is being improved by strengthening requirements for admission to university level education programs. This announcement was made by Education and Advanced Learning Minister James Allum.
“We want students to have a strong foundation in math that gives them the knowledge and skills they need to reach their full potential,” said Minister Allum. “Strong teacher training in math is an important part of that, and we’re working with teachers and universities to ensure graduating teachers are well prepared to provide that solid foundation to their students.”
Students wanting to pursue teacher education in the early and middle years will now be required to take six credit hours of university-level mathematics in order to complete their program. To meet this new requirement, the University of Winnipeg has boosted its offerings with a further three-credit-hour mathematics content course for early/middle-years education students.
“The introduction of a six-credit-hour requirement in mathematics content courses for early/middle-years teacher certification is a huge initiative for math education in Manitoba, and the Manitoba government deserves to be commended for it,” said Dr. James Currie, dean of science, University of Winnipeg. “The Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the faculty of education at the University of Winnipeg should also be commended for modeling how we can work together to put the needs of Manitoba students first.”
The province is also consulting with faculties of education about which math courses will best prepare teachers to deliver high-quality math education to students in the early and middle years.
“I’m proud of the work our math educators in the faculty of education do to prepare current and prospective teachers for the joys and challenges of teaching math in increasingly diverse classrooms,” said Dr. David Mandzuk, dean of education, University of Manitoba. “As math and science educators from both the faculties of education and continue to discuss a six-credit-hour sequence of courses that would best meet the needs of candidates wishing to teach in the early or middle years, I look forward to continued success in serving the students of Manitoba in this important area.”
“We are pleased the Manitoba government is consulting with faculties of education to strengthen training for our pre-service teachers,” said Norm Gould, president, Manitoba Teachers’ Society. “Teacher training in this province is second to none and this announcement will help add to our members’ knowledge and teaching practice.”
The minister also announced a unique collaboration between the Manitoba government and the University of Winnipeg that has led to the hiring of a joint professor in the faculties of education and mathematics to support excellence in teacher training in math. The cross-appointment of a math professor to the faculty of education will help ensure teachers are comfortable and well prepared to teach math, Minister Allum said.
