Education Commons^™

Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Framing Of Mathematical Discussions After Problem-Solving Through Mursion™ Simulation, Sezai Kocabas, Melva Grant, Signe Kastberg, Hanan Alyami

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Research on pre-service teachers' discussion practices has focused on decompositions of practice into subskills, while acknowledging the importance of the role of context, identity, and relationships between interactive moves. We focused on 66 elementary preservice teachers' (PSTs') framing-launching moves in discussions after problem-solving in a MursionTM custom simulation. PSTs used five moves: gathering information about student processes, focusing on problem features, task and non-task oriented social interactions, and partner talk. Empirical findings of PSTs' intentions and tacit actions coupled with study findings of the diversity in PSTs' framing moves, highlight the complexity of teacher decision making involved in discussion subsills …

Linguistic Awareness And Dyslexia Beliefs Among Teachers Of Students Who Are Blind Or Visually Impaired., Nosheen Gul, Lindsay N. Harris, Alicia Larouech, Gracie Strohm

CISLL Publications

US students who are blind or have visual impairments do not read at the level of a third-grader with typical sight until, on average, halfway through the seventh grade. As a first step toward narrowing that gap, we investigated levels of linguistic awareness among teachers of students who are blind or visually impaired (TSBVIs) because research with general education teachers has demonstrated a link between teacher linguistic awareness and student literacy outcomes. We also examined the accuracy of dyslexia beliefs among TSBVIs and whether TSBVI linguistic aware- ness and dyslexia beliefs are associated with training and experience variables. A survey …

Scaling Professional Development For Mathematics Teacher Educators, Michele B. Carney, Jonathan L. Brendefur, Gwyneth Hughes, Keith Thiede, Angela R. Crawford, Dan Jesse, Brandie Ward Smith

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

There have been multiple calls (Adler, Ball, Krainer, Lin, & Novotna, 2005; Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, 2012; Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001) and extensive evidence (Hiebert, 2003; Lemke et al., 2004; National Math Panel, 2008; OECD, 2010) regarding the need to change K-12 mathematics education from procedural and memorization-driven to more conceptual and application-based. Professional development is viewed as an important mechanism to influence these changes in instructional practices (Fennema et al., 1996; Franke, Carpenter, Levi, & Fennema, 2001; Swafford, Jones, & Thornton, 1997) and student outcomes (Jacobs, Franke, Carpenter, Levi, & Battey, 2007). However, professional development is …

Reconceptualizing Pedagogical And Curricular Knowledge Development Through Making, Steven Greenstein, Justin Olmanson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

While making is typically tethered to narratives of entrepreneurship and business, it can provide a gateway to meaningful interaction and deepened understanding of both content and pedagogy. In this article we provide descriptions of two courses—one each at the pre-service and in-service levels—that engage teachers in making and design practices that we hypothesized would inform their pedagogical and curricular thinking. With a focus on the design of new tools to support teaching and learning through the use of human-centered design practices and digital fabrication technologies, these courses have teachers exploring at the intersection of content, pedagogy, and making. Specifically, they …

A Three-Year Study Of A Professional Development Program's Impact On Teacher Knowledge And Classroom Implementation Of Strategic And Interactive Writing Instruction, Kimberly A. Wolbers, Hannah M. Dostal, Paulson Skerrit, Brenda Stephenson

Theory and Practice in Teacher Education Publications and Other Works

A professional development (PD) program for Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) integrating effective PD features was implemented with teachers over three years. Using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), it was examined whether length of participation in PD impacted knowledge and ability to faithfully implement. Findings indicate significant improvements with each year of PD; those who participated for three consecutive years received the highest possible ratings on knowledge as measured by the Levels of Use (LOU) and instruction as measured by the SIWI observation and fidelity instrument. Additionally, because of modifications to the PD program, it was examined …

Exploring Differences In Practicing Teachers’ Valuing Of Pedagogical Knowledge Based On Teaching Ability Beliefs, Helenrose Fives, Michelle M. Buehl

Department of Educational Foundations Scholarship and Creative Works

In this investigation, we assessed 443 teachers’ beliefs with the Teaching Ability Belief Scale (TABS) and the Importance of Teaching Knowledge Scale (ITKS). Using cluster analysis, we identified four groups of teachers based on their responses to the TABS reflecting Innate, Learned, Hybrid, and Requires Polish perspectives on the ability to teach. A comparative analysis, using the identified clusters, indicated differences in teachers’ valuing of teaching knowledge across the clusters. Teachers in the Learned cluster valued knowledge of theory significantly more so than other groups.

Narrative Understandings Of A School Policy: Intersecting Student, Teacher, Parent And Administrator Perspectives, Elaine Chan, Vicki Ross

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In this article, we examine one school’s experience with policy, as a means of shedding light on the intersection of factors contributing to challenges of implementing policies to support the academic achievement and social adaptation of immigrant and minority students in their school context. We begin with the presentation of a ‘big fight’ between two students of different ethnic and racial backgrounds, and consider multiple perspectives of how the disagreement was addressed by teachers and administrators, to offer insight into how issues of race and policy might have been understood by members of the school community. We use a narrative …

Developing Mathematical Thinking: Changing Teachers’ Knowledge And Instruction, Jonathan L. Brendefur, Keith Thiede, Sam Strother, Kim Bunning, Duane Peck

Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the present research, we evaluated the effectiveness of a multi-year professional development program in mathematics for elementary teachers. Each year the program focused on a different domain of mathematics. We found the program increased teachers’ knowledge of (a) number and operations, (b) measurement and geometry, and (c) probability and statistics. We also examined the relation between mathematical knowledge and teaching practices. Across the three domains neither pretest nor posttest mathematical knowledge were related to classroom teaching practices. However, change in knowledge was positively related to six different dimensions of teaching practice for number and operations, and for measurement and …

A Sociocultural Perspective On Esol Teachers’ Linguistic Knowledge For Teaching, Jenelle Reeves

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Within a sociocultural frame, teacher knowledge finds its origin in the entirety of teachers’ lived experiences, not just those experiences within teacher preparation. Teachers’ biographies, including their experiences as language learners, shape their knowledge base for teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL). This study interrogates one element of that knowledge base: teachers’ linguistic knowledge for teaching. Cases studies of two early career ESOL teachers with similar language learner biographies, that of first language (L1) Center English speakers with limited second language (L2) learning experienee, provided insight into the ways participants’ language biographies informed their linguistic knowledge for teaching. …

Teacher Experiences Of Culture In The Curriculum, Elaine Chan

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In this study, I examined the experiences of two middle-school-level teachers as they attempted to acknowledge the ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity of their students in their curriculum and through their teaching practices, to identify the kinds of complications and challenges they encountered in the process. I presented one particular curriculum event to explore ways in which diverse beliefs and values intersected as the teachers implemented the event.

I employed a narrative inquiry approach with an emphasis on stories to learn about the experiences of my participants. I took part in all aspects of school life, including staff meetings and …