Queensborough Community College received funding from the National Science Foundation for a grant entitled “Teacher Improvement in Mathematics Education” (TIMEQCC, 2002-2006) to provide community college students with the first two years of a mathematics teacher education program.  Students then seamlessly transfer to their junior year at New York University or Queens College (TIME2000). Scholarships are available at both NYU and Queens College. 

TIMEQCC is an adaptation and implementation of TIME2000 at Queens College (Dr. Alice Artzt, Director). The adaptation involves three components specifically developed to meet the needs of community college students: internships, an interdisciplinary course, and peer mentoring. The fundamentals of the grant allow for an enlargement of the potential pool of future middle and high school mathematics teachers by tapping into a non-traditional population, older students (over the age of 25) and foreign-born students. Building on current research on learning how to be an effective teacher and classroom facilitator, an internship program and a team-taught interdisciplinary course (psychology and mathematics) were developed.  In addition, all students take a rigorous mathematics curriculum.  Due to the economic and demographic diversity of our community college students, unusual and unique issues in preparing these students to become mathematics teachers arose. In particular students faced  time constraints due to family and work obligations and some students displayed a lack of confidence in succeeding in their role as a student .

 
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REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCEPTANCE INTO TIMEQCC

 

QCC Students

 

High School Students

 

  • Completion of at least 12 credits with a GPA of 2.75 or better.

  • Completion of MA 440 with a grade of  B or better.

  • Letter of recommendation from a mathematics professor.

 

  • At least an 85 average.

  • Grade of 80 or better on the Math B Regents (or equivalent).

  • Completion of precalculus with a grade of B or better.*

*Students may take precalculus (MA 440) in summer school at QCC.

 

SPECIAL FEATURES OF TIMEQCC

 

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  • Paid internships in the Mathematics Learning Center or a local high school.

  • Free tutoring in all math courses.

  • Faculty Mentoring

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INTERNSHIPS

Students in TIMEQCC serve paid internships each semester in the Mathematics Learning Center and/or a local high school where they act as learning facilitators for small group problem-solving workshops (4-6 students).  TIMEQCC students participate in training seminars based on a nationally recognized program called Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), that teach them the techniques needed to facilitate collaborative learning for small groups

TIMEQCC students also do traditional one-on-one tutoring.

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INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSE

 

An interdisciplinary course, Cognitive and Behavioral Learning in Secondary Mathematics, was developed based on a similar course at Queens College and is required of all students in their first semester. 

The course is team-taught by an educational psychologist and a mathematics educator in the form of a weekly three-hour seminar. Using a constructivist approach and incorporating applications to the mathematics curriculum and classroom, the course promotes an understanding and appreciation of the basic concepts and principles of child/adolescent development and learning with a focus on secondary mathematics students.

 

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TRANSFER INFORMATION

 

Currently there are full scholarships available to qualified TIMEQCC graduates to

complete their junior and senior year at NYU or Queens College.  The TIMEQCC

faculty will assist students in applying for these scholarships as well as various private

foundation scholarships.

 

 

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number DUE 0126496.