K-12 Computing and Communications and the National Mathematics and Science Education Standards

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Research Council (NRC) have respectively developed standards for mathematics and science education. These standards, along with many new state curriculum frameworks, require teachers to evaluate their classroompractices and in some cases re-think their approach to teaching. High performance computing and communications (HPCC) technologies - modeling, simulation, visualization, the Internet, and the World Wide Web - can facilitate the kind of teaching and learning called for in these standards.

A brief introduction and overview of the national math and science education standards, with a focus on the content and teaching standards, will be presented. A panel comprising representatives of NCTM, NRC, and NSTA (the National Science Teachers Association) and teachers experiencedwith the use of HPCC technologies in the classroom will be invited to react and respond to questions such as these:

• Which of the math/science content and teaching standards are best suited to HPCC technologies?
• What strategies can teachers use to inform their school administration and parents about the way that HPCC technologies support the standards?
• Do the members of the HPCC community who work with the K-12 community emphasize the standards in their interaction with teachers?