The Ross Program
"Think deeply of simple things."

The Ross Program for Teachers
Summer Program

June 16 to July 3, 2008


The Ross Program for Teachers has two components:
  1. a three week summer session,
  2. a Saturday workshop during the academic year.

A major goal of this summer program is to encourage teachers to develop a culture of mathematical exploration in their schools. Such explorations are much easier to organize and guide if the teacher has experience as a student in an inquiry-based class. This Program has also helped promote a network of interactions between high school math teachers and math faculty members at OSU.

During the summer session the teacher-participants work at the OSU campus every week day for three weeks. Participants from Central Ohio can commute from home, while those who live further away may stay in the OSU dormitories.

During the following academic year there will be at least one Saturday workshop for the participating teachers and others interested in this Program. Discussions at these workshops will focus on how the exploration-based activities have influenced teachers' practices in their high school classrooms.

DAILY SCHEDULE:

9:30 - 10:20. Whole group discussions (Number Theory or Geometry).

These discussions set up the large ideas and questions that will be investigated in more detail on the problem sets.

10:30 - 12:00. Workshop.

Participants work on problems together in small groups. Workshop leaders are themselves in-service math teachers and alumni of the Ross Program. Participants dissect and explore ideas on the current problem sets, sharing their thinking on how to approach hard problems, and helping one another discover connections among the problems. In these sessions, participants experience cooperative learning using many ideas encouraged by the NCTM Principles and Standards.

1:00 - 2:00. Seminar.

Participants share their discoveries and solutions. Discussions are guided by a math professor, and there is time for questions about specific problems, and about larger concepts and ideas. Discussions often touch on how strategies used in the Ross Program might be applied to the participants' high school classrooms.
2:00 - 3:30. Workshop.
Another opportunity to work in groups on the problems, and for further discussions with instructors.
HOMEWORK and TESTS:
Homework is self-selected. Typically, participants tackle ideas that intrigued them that day. These homework challenges serve as the generating point for the next morning's discussion session, as teachers share their successes and struggles, and work together to develop the concepts further.

Near the end of the three weeks, participants celebrate the growth in their mathematical knowledge by working on an exam. Such exams are intended to help consolidate knowledge, provide an overview, and put all that hard work into perspective.

GRADUATE CREDITS:
The teacher-participants in the Ross Program can earn up to 5 graduate credits in mathematics from the Ohio State University.
The official course number is:   Math 610.

FINANCES:
Participats receive a stipend of $1000. Part of that stipend can be used to pay OSU tuition costs (estimated at $600 for the five graduate credits).

For a few participants from outside Central Ohio, the Ross Program can provide room and board at a cost of $400 to each participant. That amount is less than half of the actual cost for three weeks of room and board [double rooms with private bath, air-conditioned dormitory].

ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION:
High school mathematics teachers are invited to apply to the Ross Program for Teachers. Preference will be given to Ohio teachers, and especially to in-service teachers currently working in Central Ohio schools. Admission decisions will be based on several criteria, including:

  • applicant's background in mathematics and in teaching.
  • responses to open-ended mathematical questions on the application form.
  • essay responses requested on the application form.
  • support of the applicant's school administrators.
SPONSORS:
The Ross Program for Teachers (RP4T) was founded in 2000 with initial support from the Park City Mathematics Institute. A grant from the National Science Foundation provided generous support for two years, and in 2007 the Ohio Department of Education provided funding.

Ross Program for Teachers  |  Description   |  Application Form   |  Photos

Further information about this summer mathematics program is available at ross@math.ohio-state.edu.