Giffords, Burger Will Speak at Math Educators Appreciation Day

More than 400 math teachers are expected to attend.

A record number of middle school, high school, community college and university mathematics teachers are expected to attend the 5th Annual Mathematics Educators Appreciation Day conference in Tucson on Saturday, Jan. 24.

More than 400 teachers are expected to attend this year, said Ann Modica. Modica and Sue Adams of The University of Arizona's mathematics department co-direct the Center for Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics Teachers, which sponsors the conference.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will acknowledge teachers' contributions to mathematics education at the conference luncheon at the Tucson Marriott University Park, 880 E. Euclid, at 12:15 p.m.

Williams College mathematics professor Edward B. Burger, author of "The Heart of Mathematics: An Invitation to Effective Thinking," and consultant for the television show, "Numb3rs," is the featured post-luncheon speaker.

Conference participants will attend morning sessions on technology, teaching pedagogy, mathematics, student motivation, state standards and other topics at Tucson Magnet High School, 400 N. Second Ave.

Publishing companies that include Pearson Prentice Hall, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Holt McDougal, Texas Instruments and Key Curriculum Press will display resource materials, calculators and textbooks.

More information about the conference is available at the center's Website, http://crr.math.arizona.edu.

Late registration costs $30 and is available on a walk-in basis at the Tucson Magnet High School's Technology Building.

The conference is made possible by support from eight southern Arizona school districts and corporate sponsors.

The Center for Recruitment and Retention of Mathematics Teachers at the UA was created in 2001 to address the shortage of qualified mathematics teachers at the middle and high school levels. Its goals are to retain mathematics teachers currently in the field and to attract mathematically talented college students to the teaching profession.

The center works in partnership with Amphitheater Public Schools, Catalina Foothills School District, Flowing Wells Unified School District, Marana Unified School District, Sunnyside Unified School District, Tanque Verde School District, Tucson Unified School District and Vail School District.

In addition to the annual Mathematics Educator's Appreciation Day Conference, center programs include a program for new teachers, a tutoring project to attract college students into mathematics education and teacher workshops.

The center also maintains a list of tutors available to parents and students on its Website and a list serve of more than 700 mathematics teachers who are sent news of educational opportunities at the local, state and national level.