RICHARDSON, Texas (Sept. 20, 2004) – Classroom teachers, school administrators and members of the public can bone up on their mathematics and science knowledge and skills at a series of free seminars to be conducted this fall and next spring at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD).

Five sessions focusing on science and mathematics education comprise the 2004-2005 “Seminar Series for Life-Long Learners,” to be held over the next seven months on the UTD campus in Richardson. Members of the university faculty will present the inaugural seminars.

“The series is intended to update a diverse audience on recent advances in the sciences, teaching approaches, relevant educational research and innovative methods for communicating ideas unique to each discipline,” said Dr. Cynthia E. Ledbetter, head of UTD’s Science and Mathematics Education Department, one of the seminars’ co-sponsors.

According to Dr. Scherry Johnson, director of the university’s Teacher Development Center, the other co-sponsor of the series, “the material should be of interest to classroom teachers, school administrators, higher education faculty and staff – even parents and grandparents of students and other interested members of the public.”

The presentations, which are also supported by the Center for Science Education Research, will be conducted on Monday evenings from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the UTD Conference Center, Room CN1.112.

The series will be free and open to the public.

Arrangements for four of the five seminars have been made and are as follows:

  • Sept. 27, “Teaching Mathematics Through Problem Solving: A Personal View,” Dr. Thomas R. Butts. Focuses on mathematical problem solving as a process, as an instructional goal and as an instructional method.
  • Nov. 1, “Critical Thinking: A Novel Way of Learning,” Dr. Fred L. Fifer, Jr. Provides simple strategies for individuals to improve their critical thinking skills.
  • Jan. 24, “Improving Education in Science Five Minutes at a Time,” Dr. Homer A. Montgomery. How to implement five-minute classroom sessions to improve science education and scores on exams.
  • Feb. 28, “Scale in the Solar System,” Dr. Mary L. Urquhart. Details hands-on activities to aid in understanding scale in the solar system, including the creation of a 1-to-10-billion scale model of the planets and sun using everyday materials.

Plans for a fifth seminar, to be held April 11, 2005, will be announced at a later date.

For additional information about the seminar series, please call 972-883-2496.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.