Rasmussen Teaches K-8 Math Teachers in Summer Program

Chris Rasmussen, assistant professor of mathematics, recently finished teaching a summer professional development course for K-8 teachers in the Danbury, Conn. school district.

The program, called Intel Math, increases the mathematical content knowledge of elementary and middle-school teachers, with the long-term goal of strengthening STEM training.

The Intel Math course ran eight hours a day for two weeks. Rasmussen co-taught the course with Sharon Heyman, a mathematics education specialist from the University of Connecticut.

In 2012, Rasmussen taught the course with a cohort of 15 teachers from around central Connecticut. This summer, he taught 23 teachers in the Danbury school district.

“The goal is to strengthen the mathematical knowledge of the participants to aid them in their own K-8 classrooms. Pedagogical issues are also discussed, but mathematics itself is the primary focus,” Rasmussen said.

This fall at Wesleyan, Rasmussen is teaching “Abstract Algebra” and “Algebra II.”