Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Stemteach: Preparing The Next Generation Of Mathematics And Science Teachers, G. Bunn, D. Dailey, A. Cotabish

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

With an increasing demand for individuals prepared in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), one university responded to this call by changing its teacher preparation program. Better-prepared mathematics and science teachers have the opportunity to engage and excite students, thereby preparing and promoting more of them to enter the STEM professions. The described program is a replication of the national UTeach model that recruits content majors in mathematics and science to explore the teaching profession during a first-semester course that includes an early field experience in the elementary grades. This field experience is designed to be engaging for both the …

Views Of Coaching Practice Expressed By School-Based Coaches, D. A. Yopp, E. A. Burroughs, A. Barlow, J. T. Sutton

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This study reports on the views of coaching expressed by school-based coaches and coaching experts in response to observing the practice of a novice coach featured in a video. Researchers hypothesized that a coach participant's observations about another coach's practice would be a useful tool for examining participants' beliefs about coaching. Researchers compared responses from school-based coaches to the responses of coaching experts and views expressed in leading coaching literature in order to examine the variation in school-based coaches' views. Analysis of responses from both practicing coaches and coaching experts revealed eight themes that describe components of the videotaped coaching …

The Impact Of Math Anxiety In The Primary Grades, Amanda R. Anderson-Mix

Mathematics Graduate Theses

Math anxiety is an increasingly common occurrence among individuals when working with mathematical concepts. While researching math anxiety the author came across common gender stereotypes implying: women do not perform as well as men in the field of mathematics, women experience a much higher level of math anxiety than men, and most women do not appreciate performing mathematical tasks. Although the concept of math anxiety is an interesting topic to the author, it's important to look deeper than simply the question, “What is math anxiety?” Seeing these stereotypical assumptions that women have higher math anxiety levels, it made this author …

Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Affective Dispositions Toward Mathematics, Benjamin R. Mcdermott

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure and report pre-service elementary teachers' affective domain of productive disposition toward mathematics during the semester they were enrolled in a reform-based mathematics methods course. The study attempted to observe and report dynamic and enduring aspects of disposition as well as the perceived reasons for any changes, or lack thereof, in disposition. The rationale for focusing on disposition is related to Kilpatrick, Swafford, and Findell's (2001) inclusion of productive disposition as one of the five interdependent strands of the mathematical proficiency conceptual framework. Furthermore, it has been argued that dispositions develop at very …

Impact Of A Science Methods Course On Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Knowledge And Confidence Of Teaching With Scientific Inquiry And Problem-Based Learning, L. Y. Whiteman, T. M. Walker, T. L. Spencer

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of an elementary science methods course on pre-service teachers' knowledge and confidence of teaching with inquiry and problem-based instructional strategies. Changes in pre-service teachers' knowledge and confidence were measured before and after completing the course activities using a pilot survey entitled "Science Pedagogical Content Knowledge & Confidence (PCKC) Survey." An integrated lecture/laboratory elementary science methods course engaged participants with hands-on activities designed to increase their pedagogical content knowledge: including theory, planning and implementation of inquiry, and problem-based learning. The results indicated that pre-service teachers' knowledge and confidence improved as a …

Community Chairs As A Catalyst For Campus Collaboration In Stem, Neal Grandgenett, David Boocker, Hesham Ali, Angela M. Hodge, Brian Dorn, Christine E. Cutucache

Biology Faculty Publications

Strong collaborative partnerships are critical to the ongoing success of any urban or metropolitan university in its efforts to build the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career pathways so critical to our nation. At the University of Nebraska at Omaha, we have established a faculty leadership structure of "community chairs" that work across colleges to support campus priorities. This paper describes UNO’s STEM community chair model, including selected initiatives, impacts, and challenges to date.

Learning Biology Through Innovative Curricula: A Comparison Of Game- And Nongame-Based Approaches, Troy D. Sadler, William L. Romine, Deepika Menon, Richard E. Ferdig, Leonard Annetta

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

This study explored student learning in the context of innovative biotechnology curricula and the effects of gaming as a central element of the learning experience. The quasi-experimentally designed study compared learning outcomes between two curricular approaches: one built around a computer-based game and the other built around a narrative case. The research questions addressed student learning of basic biological principles, development of interest in learning science, and how a game-based approach compared to a nongame-based approach in terms of supporting learning. The study employed a pre-post design with 1,888 high school students nested within the classes of 36 biology teachers. …

Student Perceptions Of Biology Teachers' Interpersonal Teaching Behaviors And Student Achievement, Victor N. Madike

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate student-teacher interactions in undergraduate courses have been linked to poor student performance. Researchers have noted that students' perceptions of student-teacher relationships may be an important factor related to student performance. The administration of a Mid-Atlantic community college prioritized increasing undergraduate biology student performance. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between students' biology achievement and their perceptions of interpersonal teaching behaviors and student-teacher interactions in introductory biology courses. Leary's theory on interpersonal communication and the systems communication theory of Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson served as the theoretical foundation. The Wubbel's Likert-scale questionnaire on student-teacher interactions …

Effects Of Embedded Study-Skills Instruction On High School Students' Attitudes Toward Mathematics, Alberta Diahann Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The target school used embedded study skills in Algebra I classes to improve attitudes toward mathematics. The purpose of this sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study was to examine the effect of embedded study-skills instruction on students' attitudes toward mathematics. Metacognitive theory was used for this study's framework. Participants were 28 Grade 9 and 10 students who repeated Algebra I. Quantitative data from the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory assessed students' pre- and post-instruction attitudes toward mathematics in 4 domains. Data were analyzed using 4 independent samples t tests for students who did and did not receive embedded instruction. Qualitative data were collected …

Challenges In Assessing College Students' Conception Of Duality: The Case Of Infinity, Grace Olutayo Babarinsa-Ochiedike

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Interpreting students' views of infinity posits a challenge for researchers due to the dynamic nature of the conception. There is diversity and variation among students' process-object perceptions. The fluctuations between studentsâ?? views however reveal an undeveloped duality conception. This study examined college students' conception of duality in understanding and representing infinity with the intent to design strategies that could guide researchers in categorizing students' views of infinity into different levels.

Data for the study were collected from N=238 college students enrolled in Calculus sequence courses (Pre-Calculus, Calculus I through Calculus III) at one of the southwestern universities in the U.S. …

Contents

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Experiences Teaching Stoichiometry To Students In Grades 10 And 11, Cynthia Denise Bridges

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many students have problems learning stoichiometry, a complex mathematical chemistry concept used to determine how much product will be produced or formed from a given quantity of reactants. The problem addressed in this study was teachers' lack of understanding of how to teach stoichiometry in a Midwestern urban school district. The conceptual framework of the study was based upon constructivist theory. A qualitative narrative approach was used to obtain the perceptions of 5 high school chemistry instructors related to their experiences, successful or unsuccessful, in teaching stoichiometry to students in Grades 10 and 11. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews, …

Science Education In Virginia, E. Rhoades

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Journal Of Mathematics And Science: Collaborative Explorations

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Experiences With Problem-Based Learning: Virginia Initiative For Science Teaching And Achievement, C. Phillips, R. Zimmerman, A. Martin

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

The Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA) provides high-quality professional development for teachers and administrators to enhance the quality of their science instructional programs. One emphasis of this program is helping teachers learn to implement Problem-Based Learning in the elementary science classroom. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) has the potential to produce significant positive outcomes for students, such as increased student engagement, and opportunities for in-depth critical thinking [1]. Teachers find PBL challenging because it does take additional time for planning and material acquisition, but experience has shown that the benefits outweigh these challenges. Setting clear goals, identifying specific learning …

The Stability Of Boats: A Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Exercise, G. Rublein

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

In what might be called genuine Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), an engineering construct subject to well-understood physical principles is analyzed mathematically to yield predicted behavior. In this article, we provide just such an example. The mathematics is at the high school level. Among other things, one actually sees an application of the quadratic formula. Experimental verification of the results may be realized with simple materials.

Science Leadership: Impact Of The New Science Coordinators Academy, E. W. Edmondson, A. Mannarino, V. Reid, D. R. Sterling

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This article discusses the impact of the New Science Coordinators Academy (NSCA) on two cohorts of participants. The NSCA is one of four components of the Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA), a United States Department of Education (USED) science education reform grant. The NSCA is designed to support new school district science coordinators (with less than five years of experience) and to continue building the state science education infrastructure. Research in education leadership traditionally focuses on teacher leaders, principals, and district office personnel. Interestingly, research on district office personnel rarely distinguishes between the different roles of district …

A Note On Knights, Knaves, And Truth Tables, H. Reinhart, J. Boyd

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Student and teacher (in the order above) have taken on a project of trying to understand something about Boolean algebra, logic circuits, and applications with the aid of Mathematica. We quickly recognized that the logical puzzles popularized by Raymond Smullyan that involve Knights (truth tellers) and Knaves (liars) are ideally suited for analysis by Boolean methods and truth tables. with a big boost from Mathematica. Not only is there a lot of mathematics to be learned, there is a great deal of fun to be had. The topic seems to us to be an ideal vehicle for exposing young high …

Aims & Scope

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

What Is Equity? Ways Of Seeing, Christa Jackson, Cynthia Taylor, Kelley Buchheister

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Prospective teachers must be prepared for their role in providing equitable access for learning high quality mathematics. Therefore, it is imperative that mathematics teacher educators provide opportunities to develop an equity-centered orientation in teacher preparation courses. In this study, we begin to address this issue by identifying what prospective teachers attend to in a classroom vignette of an African American male student who is above grade level in mathematics and exhibits disruptive behavior during instruction. The results of the study indicate that while participants are beginning to attend to cultural influences, most responses are focused on classroom management strategies

In Memory Of Michael Watts (November 3, 1950–December 5, 2014), William Walstad, Sam Allgood, Tisha Emerson, Gail Hoyt, Kimmarie Mcgoldrick, Georg Schaur, William E. Becker

Department of Economics: Faculty Publications

Michael Watts, Professor of Economics at Purdue University, died unexpectedly on December 5, 2014, at the age of 64 while on vacation in Antigua. His connection to the Journal of Economic Education is a long one. For 20 years, from 1988 through 2007, Mike served as the associate editor for JEE’s instruction section, which typically accounts for the largest number of articles published in a JEE issue. After 2007, he continued to serve on JEE’s editorial board. Mike was a remarkable academic and scholar who made significant and wide-ranging contributions to economic education beyond his valuable service to JEE.

Mike …

A Case Study Investigating Secondary Science Teachers' Perceptions Of Science Literacy Instruction, Phyllis Ann Blackmon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This project study addressed the lack of inclusion of discipline literacy pedagogy in secondary classrooms in a rural school district in eastern North Carolina. Discipline literacy practices are recommended in the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. The district had implemented content area reading strategies across content areas, yet no significant progress in secondary students' reading abilities had been demonstrated in statewide or national assessments. The conceptual framework that drove this study was disciplinary literacy, founded by the literacy research of Shanahan, Shanahan, and Zygouris-Coe. Within a qualitative case study method, this investigation of 8 secondary …

Improving Math Performance In Adult Female Community College Students: An Evaluation Of Project Independence, Robin Tim Frodsham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Project Independence (PI) is a community college immersion program dedicated to assisting women returning to college. The focus of this study and associated summative evaluation was to understand how the PI program addresses anxiety and other learning deficiencies associated with math. Knowle's andragogical models portray adults as motivated and self-directed, and the American college campus fosters a culture of independence. This culture is foreign to many minority, first-generation, and working class adults who learn through interdependence. This qualitative instrumental case study and evaluation is the first to examine the efficacy of PI. The guiding questions of this study concern early …

Teac 315: Teaching Science In The Elementary School—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Krista Adams

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Teaching Science in the Elementary School (TEAC 315) is an upper-division course taken by elementary education majors as a requirement for the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Education. The peer review of teaching project had me identify concerns for teaching the elementary methods course. The concerns I wanted to address focused on eliciting teacher candidate’s views and experiences with teaching science as well as my ability to identify evidence of growth. The first area focuses on my needing to understand if I need to develop more instructional strategies to support teacher candidate growth. This involves both in terms of specific …

Introductory Texts, Georgia Association Of Mathematics Teacher Educators

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

Coverpage

GAMTE Information

Letter from the President

Table of Contents

Paper 1: Engaging In Lesson Study At Georgia College, Angel R. Abney, Brandon Samples, Doris Santarone

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

A lesson study cycle is a professional development process that integrates research and reflection through collaboration. The cycle allows a group to refine a lesson based on these collaboration efforts such as interaction with students and the post-lesson discussion. Secondary pre-service teachers in a mathematics methods course engaged in a lesson study cycle through collaboration between in-service teachers, Georgia College professors, and students in a local high school classroom. We systematically investigated this process to determine that through preparing, enacting and reflecting on their practice, Pre-service Teachers (PST) developed insight, reasoning, and understanding of the mathematics that they taught.

Paper 2: Using Ti-Nspire To Engage Preservice Mathematics Teachers In An Exploratory Geometry Module, Alesia D. Mickle, Pier A. Junor Clarke

Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (GAMTE) Annual Conference (2007-2019)

In the mathematics classroom, most preservice mathematics teachers possess basic skills to use technology as an instructional strategy in communicating content standards. However, today’s demands for preservice teachers to engage in a variety of “best teaching practices” in their preservice teaching and edTPA requirements can oftentimes place the acquisition of technical skills and integration of new technology in content curriculum far from the forefront of their minds. Ertmer, Conklin, Lewandowski, Osika, Selo, and Wignall (2003) acknowledged preservice teachers’ desires to gain the adequate technical skills necessary to use technology in teachers’ daily tasks of facilitating and managing their classrooms. They …

Pathways To Professional Growth: Investigating Upper Primary School Teachers’ Perspectives On Learning To Teach Algebra, Karina J. Wilkie, Doug Clarke

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper discusses upper primary school teachers’ perspectives on changes to their knowledge and practice through participation in a design-based research project. It analyses their experiences using Clarke & Hollingsworth’s (2002) empirically-founded model for professional growth to understand more about the mechanisms for change that might support teachers in learning to teach a challenging but important aspect of mathematics – algebra. Ten teachers were involved in cycles of collaborative planning, team-teaching, evaluating, and revising five lessons for their classes on developing functional thinking through pattern generalisation over one year. The teachers referred to observations of teaching in action, and modification …

A Stem Narrative: 15 Years In The Making., Susan Blackley, Jennifer Howell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Since its inception in the late 1990s, STEM has continued to attract attention and sizeable funding in the US, UK, and Australia. This paper narrates the development of the STEM movement, and analyses both the influences that have progressed its evolution and those that have stymied authentic STEM practices. The pervading rhetoric of “STEM crisis” is considered through a global lens, and is resolved as a geo-political phenomenon. The strident voice of the US in the STEM narrative is tempered by investigating the approach to STEM in European, Asian, and developing countries. Two perspectives are described in the narrative: the …

The Views Of Mathematics Teachers On The Factors Affecting The Integration Of Technology In Mathematics Courses, Gül Kaleli-Yilmaz

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study is to determine the views of mathematics teachers on the factors that affect the integration of technology in mathematic courses. It is a qualitative case study. The sample size of the study is 10 teachers who are having postgraduate education in a university in Turkey. Current study was conducted at the three stages. At the first stage, software and learning objects were introduced to the teachers. At the second stage, the activities were performed to the teachers. At the third stage, teachers practiced a technology assisted course in a real classroom environment. After all stages …