Mathematics focused on teaching

The study programme is a part of a double-subject programme and constitutes the first level of the university studies leading to a teaching qualification for secondary schools. The goal of the study is to provide general knowledge and give a good orientation in both study branches together with the basics of pedagogy and psychology. It should prepare graduates for the follow-up Master's study programme of Upper Secondary School Teacher Training in Mathematics.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• understand basic terms from pedagogy and didactics
• understand actual trends in teaching
• to manage and motivate a classroom with help of the teacher
• understand basic terms from psychology
• cooperate with the treacher and understand basics of recent school politics and understand actual trends in education
• understand basic mathematical concepts
• use formal mathematical language
• apply general mathematical results
• interpret and process the knowledge
• create technical text

Graduates can use their skills in various positions in basic and applied research, such as laboratories. Although they are not fully qualified for teaching, they can prepare special activities and seminars at primary and secondary schools (e.g. seminars for gifted students, preparation for the Olympiads and different competitions, or for entrance exams to higher education institutions). They can also get involved in the popularization of mathematics. Graduates can pursue their studies in the follow-up Master's study programme – to become fully qualified teachers of mathematics at secondary schools.

XS090 Initial teacher training

During the course student stays at the secondary school where, in both subjects of his study, he/she takes at least 7 lessons of sitting in the classes and 3x10-15 minutes of his own teaching (at least in three different lessons). Students stays at school a half day weekly for a period at least 6 weeks.

During the course students gets to know working at the secondary school, pedagogical documentation, he/she assists the teacher with preparing experiments, correcting homework and tests, etc., in the total range of 7 hours in both of the subjects of his study.

Main objectives can be summarized as follows: to get information on the practical teaching of the subject (sitting in the classes); to get basic acquirements with practical teaching; to get information on working at the secondary school.

The elaboration and defence of the bachelor thesis is a compulsory part of the study programme Mathematics focused on teaching. By preparing the bachelor's thesis, the student demonstrates the ability to be oriented in the problems given by the topic of the bachelor's thesis, the ability to work professionally under the guidance of his/her supervisor and the ability of written and oral presentation. The standard time for the assignment of the Bachelor's thesis is in the 5th semester of the Bachelor's degree. By assigning the bachelor's thesis, the tutor who wrote the topic becomes the supervisor of the bachelor's thesis for the student who has chosen it. The Department of Mathematics and Statistics registers and archives the written assignment of the Bachelor's thesis. The student may suggest to any teacher of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics the topic of his/her bachelor thesis or they may agree on this topic. In this case, the teacher proposes the topic of the bachelor thesis for a particular student.

The guidelines for the preparation of the bachelor's thesis are regulated by the Dean's Measure 5/2014 Guidelines for the preparation of bachelor's, master's and rigorous theses at the Faculty of Science of MU.

After the successful completion of the Bachelor's study programme, students can pursue their studies in any Master's study programme (after satisfying the admission requirements). At the Faculty of Science of MU – to become fully qualified teachers of mathematics at the secondary schools, students can apply for admission to an Upper-secondary teacher-training follow-up Master's degree programme.