Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Virtual Mentorship Of Teacher Leaders: The Ripple Effect, Joan Kernan, Joy Denoon, Eric Roberts, Tammy Sanford

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Abstract

In this paper, the authors reflect on the first completely online mathematics specialist preparation and mentoring program. Candidates across Virginia successfully completed this program and are now serving as teacher leaders, interventionists, department leaders, instructional coaches, mentors, and program specialists. They are impacting mathematics instruction across the state at all levels. As two mathematics specialists serving as mentors and two candidates, we share our thoughts and ideas as we continue to learn from our mentorship process. The goal is to provide continuous professional development as candidates share problems, successes, research, and best practices to improve mathematics teaching and learning. …

Learning To Anticipate In An Online Class: Perspectives Of An Instructor And A Mathematics Specialist Candidate, Kristina C. Anthony, Melody O'Quinn

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper will highlight two perspectives, a course instructor and a mathematics specialist candidate working together in an online course, on the practice of anticipating how a learner will approach a task or assignment. The candidate shares her experiences in developing an understanding of what it means to anticipate student responses and implement mathematical practice in the classroom. She also shares how learning to anticipate has impacted her teaching. The instructor reflects on her experiences (or lack thereof) in anticipating how students would engage in the online environment. From the instructor and the candidate perspectives, learning to anticipate helped to …

The Bellringer Sequence: Investigating What And How Preservice Mathematics Teachers Learn Through Pedagogies Of Enactment, Mary A. Ochieng

Dissertations

This study examines preservice teacher learning through pedagogies of enactment—approaches to teacher education that allow preservice teachers to learn by doing what teachers do. Preservice teacher (PST) learning is examined through the implementation of the Bellringer Sequence (BRS), a pedagogy of enactment conceptualized in the study. The BRS is centered around bellringers—brief mathematical tasks implemented as students arrive for class. The BRS is a sequence of four activities centered on a bellringer: preparation (for teaching a bellringer) implementation (of the bellringer with peers), debriefing (discussing the implementation as colleagues), and written reflection (about the effectiveness of the bellringer).

Practice-based approaches …

Do You See What I See? Deepening Teachers’ Understanding Of Linear Equations Through Student Interviews, Tamara Pearson, Kelli L. Nipper, Catherine Matos

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators

Many teachers have trouble transitioning their students between natural recursive thinking about the data and algebraic notation for representing linear functions (Zazkis & Liljedahl, 2002).

In this study, we interviewed eighteen middle school students to see how they used prior instruction to think about a geometric pattern and construct its corresponding linear equation. All students

were given the same task to complete and were questioned about their thinking during the interview.

We found that the recording of pattern recognition plays a substantial part in helping students recognize and write explicit patterns. By having students decompose the total perimeter into how …

Relevance First: How To Engage Preservice Elementary (K-8) Teacher Candidates In A Required Geoscience Course, Priscilla Field Skalac

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

Many preservice elementary teacher candidates enter the required science content classroom with poor self-efficacy attitudes. We should take an approach that will both lead our students towards an understanding of the relevance of the content, as well as self-confidence in their ability to teach geoscience. In one of four required science content courses, Earth and Space Science for Elementary Teachers, we are achieving positive outcomes by redefining our students as our apprentices.