UCR Newsroom

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — It’s more than a numbers game for local area mathematics teachers attending the University of California, Riverside’s Mathematics Academy for Teaching Excellence (MATE) offered through the Academy of Learning through Partnerships for Higher Achievement (ALPHA). The program will be offered June 23 through 27 at the UC Riverside campus Student Recreation Center and July 21 through 25 at the UC Riverside Palm Desert campus.

Participants in MATE will reap the benefits of nontraditional methods of teaching mathematics and are provided cutting-edge concepts and inspiration they can pass on to their students.

“The teachers who attend our program are already extremely motivated individuals,” said Pamela Clute, ALPHA Center director and assistant vice provost of academic partnerships. “However, it is important to keep them excited about teaching and knowledgeable about current information suitable for inspiring and energizing high performance in students.”

The program, designed for teachers of grades five through 12, focuses heavily on quantitative literacy, algebra, geometry and analysis — key elements for college entrance and workforce readiness. Teachers receive content-rich, interactive classroom ideas and useful classroom materials which will enhance their lessons. The curriculum illustrates how the subject relates to everyday life and develops an excitement about mathematics.

New ideas are fostered in a collaborative environment made up of teachers, administrators, university professors and undergraduate students who plan to teach. Following completion of the program, participants are expected to share what they learned with other teachers, administrators, students and parents.

And, because the event is held in the recreation center, participants are encouraged to use the facility to exercise during breaks in the program as an added benefit.

“MATE values teachers, treating them as professionals who can become excellent leaders,” said Clute.

Participants attend the academy “free of charge” and receive a $750 stipend plus a professional library of resource materials worth $1,000.

The University of California, Riverside (www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment of about 18,000 is expected to grow to 21,000 students by 2020. The campus is planning a medical school and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Graduate Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion.

A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.