UPDATE (Oct. 20, 2009) – This lecture has been CANCELLED due to an illness to one of the presenters. No makeup date is has been announced.

BEMIDJI, Minn. (Oct. 12, 2009) — For years, mathematics faculty at Bemidji State University have offered professional development opportunities to teachers. In the first installment of Bemidji State’s 2009 fall Honors Council Lecture Series, Dr. Todd Frauenholtz, professor of mathematics and mathematics education, and Dr. Derek Webb, professor of statistics and mathematics, will examine ways in which organizations can determine the effectiveness of professional development.

The presentation, scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, will be held in Hagg-Sauer 112 on the Bemidji State campus.

Frauenholz and Webb will present results of a study to determine the impact on student achievement of elementary school teachers who participated in professional development in the content area of mathematics. Achievement levels from students of teachers who participated in professional development courses in the summers from 1998 through 2007 will be examined. Ultimately, the impact of teachers’ professional development activities is measured by student achievement data collected on standardized tests.

Frauenholtz has a background teaching mathematics to junior high and high school students. His professional interests include in-service teacher professional development and pre-service teacher preparation.

Webb has a background in industrial statistics. His professional interests include industrial statistics, biological statistics, mathematics education, and statistics education.

The lecture by Frauenholtz and Webb is the first of five presentations scheduled in the Honors Council Lecture Series for the fall of 2009.

2009 Fall Honors Council Lecture Series
• Oct. 20: Todd Frauenholtz and Derek Webb, “Professional Development: Does It Work?”
• Nov. 10: Film, “The Best Years Of Our Lives.”
• Nov. 12: Tom Murphy, “Coming Home: Veterans in History.”
• Dec. 2: Carla Norris-Raynbird, “When the Wolf Is At the Door: Exploring Issues of Vulnerability and Capacity In Louisiana’s Coastal Zone Parishes.”
• TBA: Dan Siems, topic to be announced

For more information about the Honors Council Lecture Series, please contact the honors program at (218) 755-3984.