515. CHAOS AND FRACTALS IN THE CLASSROOM 3 cr.  Overview of chaotic dynamical systems and associated fractals; computerized explorations of chaos and fractals, and their use in the high school curriculum.

519. SPECIAL TOPICS IN MATHEMATICS cr. TBA Supervised study of special topics.

520. MATHEMATICS–PROCESS AND CONTENT 3 cr.  Introduction to the NCTM content and process standards.  The study of middle grades mathematics from an advanced perspective emphasizing the nature of mathematics.  Exploration of the connections between middle grades mathematical content and higher-level mathematics.  Relationship between content knowledge and best practice teaching. 

521. NUMBER ANALYSIS 3 cr.  Properties and structure of number systems.  Connections between analytical and geometrical understanding of number concepts.  Equivalent representations of numbers and an examination of the difficulties students experience in the recognition of those equivalences.  Estimation and mental calculation and their relation to understanding properties of numbers.  Number theory.  Limit and completeness of the real numbers. 

522. CONCEPTS IN ALGEBRA 3 cr.  Examination of algebraic structures and how they are related to middle school mathematics.  Patterns, relations, functions.  Linear approximation and rates of change.  Interconnectedness of algebra to other mathematical concepts in the middle school curriculum.  Algebra used to describe symmetry. 

523. DISCRETE MATHEMATICS AND LINEAR ALGEBRA 3 cr.  Combinatorics as systematic counting. Iteration and recursion.  Vertex-edge graphs.  Pattern and symmetry.  Matrix representation of data.  Linear algebra in transformational geometry. 

524. GEOMETRY AND SPATIAL SENSE 3 cr.  Constructivist approach to geometry using exploratory, discovery and hands-on methods for generating conjectures and verifying results.  Axiomatic deductive reasoning.  Euclidean, transformational, and non-Euclidean geometry.  Constructions used as a way to promote logical reasoning. 

525. MATHEMATICS TEACHING TECHNOLOGY 3 cr.  Examination of how mathematics teaching technology is used to promote the discovery and understanding of various mathematical concepts.  Graphing calculators, spreadsheets, dynamic geometry software, computer algebra systems, mathematics on the web. 

526. RESPONSIVE MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION 3 cr.  Developmental psychology of middle grades students and the related impact on the teaching of mathematics.  Examination of mathematics education research related to the middle grades.  Methodology of teacher action research.  Appropriate mathematics instruction for diverse groups of students. 

527. PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS 3 cr.  Study design and data collection.  Analysis and representation, notion of distributions, variation and center.  Probability and proportional reasoning.  Development of hypotheses and statistical methods for comparing and interpreting data.  Modeling linear relationships through simulation. 

528. TOPICS IN MEASUREMENT 3 cr.  The teaching of measurement as recommended by NCTM.  Measurement used in mathematical modeling and real world applications.  Measurement as an aid to decision making. 

529. REASONING AND COMMUNICATION IN MATHEMATICS 3 cr.  Distinguishing characteristics of mathematical reasoning.  Inductive and deductive mathematical reasoning.  Logic and truth. 

530. CAPSTONE COURSE 3 cr.  Analysis and completion of essay projects.  Discussion of comprehensive examination topics as an overview of program concepts.