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CR - Making Sense of Mathematics and Teaching K-8 Series - Making Sense of Numbers MSN
CRAEA Cedar Falls Nov 17 2025




The Making Sense of Mathematics and Teaching K-8 series of eight courses is designed to increase K-8 student achievement by improving teachers’ mathematical content knowledge for teaching, changing their beliefs about how children learn to align with research, and improving their instructional strategies. The series of courses addresses the content areas required to secure a K-8 Iowa Mathematics Endorsement.

Making Sense of Numbers is the first in a series of professional development courses designed and offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning Mathematics at the University of Northern Iowa. These courses are designed to help teachers think through the major ideas of K–8 mathematics and examine how children develop those ideas. The first textbook, Building a System of Tens Casebook, contains classroom episodes, or cases, that illustrate the mathematical thinking of students as described by their teachers. The second textbook, Number Sense Routines, illustrates how the routines work, how children’s number sense develops, and how teachers should implement routines. Teachers will gain a deeper understanding of the big mathematical ideas, the skills, and the strategies children develop as they learn mathematics.  MSN helps teachers engage in mathematics through exploration of mathematical content and research-based pedagogical practices.  The ultimate goal is for the children in these teachers’ classrooms to be engaged in effective learning opportunities, which result in improved student achievement.

 

Course Fee Breakdown

The total cost of the course is composed of three separate fees:

  1. $499 Course Content Fee: This is a mandatory fee that covers the course materials, instruction, and content.

  2. $300 Credit/No Credit Fee: This fee is required regardless of the option you choose. The amount covers UNI''s administrative costs associated with registering for the course and being assigned a final designation (whether that''s LR (likely License Renewal), Graduate Credit, or No Credit). In other words, you pay the $300, and then you get to select which credit option you want.

  3. $46 Technology Fee: This mandatory fee covers access to online learning platforms, software, and other technological resources used in the course.


Important Session Information:


Learning Objectives

1.  Increase pedagogical content knowledge in mathematics: 

 a. Focus on number concepts and operation and the base ten structure: Compose and decompose numbers, including subitizing, Utilize visual representations, Understand computational strategies and mental math strategies, Develop an understanding of the meaning of operations, properties, and the standard algorithm  

b. Develop strategies that encourage a growth mindset.

2. Experience assessment and instructional strategies as a learner in order to implement them as a teacher:

a. Cognition-Based Assessment of Place Value (Battista, 2012) 

b. Number Sense Routines (Shumway, 2011)

3. Reflect on their own and peers’ mathematical ideas to prepare to analyze student thinking

4. Analyze student thinking through case studies, research articles, videos, and classroom-embedded interactions with students.

5. Interview a small group of K-8 students to assess their mathematical understanding of place value. Plan and implement routines that develop mathematical understanding: Number Sense Routines: 

a. Understand that students’ number sense is foundational to understanding mathematical concepts.

b. Explore different types of Number Sense Routines. 

c. Conduct student interviews for the purpose of learning more about students’ thinking. 

d. Plan and implement eight sets of three number sense routines lessons (24 lessons), using at least five different types of Number Sense Routines. 

e. Reflect upon planning and implementing Number Sense Routines with colleagues through online discussions. 

f. Video record implementation of Number Sense Routines and analyze implementation using the Innovation Configuration Map.

Grading Criteria

Instructors will assess the performance of participants taking this course so that useful feedback can be provided to deepen their understanding of the course content, and a final grade can be assigned.  Each assignment will be graded using a rubric, which will be specified for each session assignment. The rubrics and a list of assignments for each session can also be found as separate documents with this syllabus.    

The following areas of a participant’s performance will be assessed:  
● Instructional Session Assignments (120 points, 40% of final grade) 
● Implementation Session Assignments (180 points, 60% of final grade) 

All efforts will be made to give feedback and grade assignments within a reasonable timeframe.  Grades for each assignment will be posted in the My Grades tool on Blackboard.  Participants are expected to monitor their own grades on Blackboard and save all graded work on their own computer. Overall grades are determined by dividing points earned by points possible.  Letter grades will be assigned according to the university grading scale.  Making Sense of Numbers Syllabus All rights reserved. Center for Teaching and Learning Mathematics, University of Northern Iowa ctlm@uni.edu

Session Notes:


Lunch is 1 hour. There may be a reading assignment over lunch.
Registration ends at 12:00 AM on Monday, November 10, 2025

Session ID:
55159
Seats:
0 / 24
Session Fees:
Materials fee:$499.00
Other Fee:$46.00
Credit Type & Fee 
Date Time Location
11/17/2025 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Cedar Falls Office - Iowa River Room
1521 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls, 50613
12/15/2025 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Cedar Falls Office - Iowa River Room
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1/12/2026 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Cedar Falls Office - Iowa River Room
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2/23/2026 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Cedar Falls Office - Iowa River Room
1521 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls, 50613
3/23/2026 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Cedar Falls Office - Iowa River Room
1521 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls, 50613
4/24/2026 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM Cedar Falls Office - Iowa River Room
1521 Technology Parkway, Cedar Falls, 50613
1521 Technology Pkwy, Cedar Falls IA 50613 | Phone (319) 273-8200 | professionallearning@centralriversaea.org
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