Supporting Mathematics Teachers in the United States and Finland Proceedings of a Workshop (2018) / Chapter Skim
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7 Teacher Development in the United States: Collaborative Approaches
7 Teacher Development in the United States: Collaborative Approaches
Pages 43-54
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From page 43... ...
Stein described her ideal vision for mathematics teaching. The student-centered model has become popular in the United States because it has been a useful tool for challenging what has become the "modal form of mathematics instruction": a class full of students sitting in rows listening to the teacher and doing individual work.
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From page 44... ...
Some pursue learning opportunities through professional organizations, such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Of course, teachers learn all the time through their daily work, especially through interactions with their colleagues.
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From page 45... ...
mathematics teachers learn and collaborate. Kara Jackson of the University of Washington, Seattle, explained that the presenters had selected examples to highlight promising areas that cut across different contexts and to identify any aspects that may be unique to the United States.
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From page 46... ...
Lesson study is very common in Japan, but it is done somewhat differently in the United States. The process begins with the identification of a topic the teachers want to explore, such as how students learn about fractions.
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From page 47... ...
SOURCE: Aki Murata, University of Florida, workshop presentation. Murata showed a video of elementary and middle school teachers engaged in a lesson study related to a beginning algebra problem.
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Murata closed with the observation that lesson study might be a way to meet key goals for professional development identified in a research brief by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.2 Those goals are that professional development should build 2 Mathematics Professional Development. Professional Development Research Brief.
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From page 49... ...
Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching Debbie Plowman of the University of Texas in Austin described the Texas Regional Collaboratives, a network of partners from schools and universities throughout the state that provide professional development for science and mathematics teachers from preschool through secondary education.3 Texas has 43,000 teachers, more than 1,266 school districts, and 9,225 schools. The Texas Regional Collaboratives are federally funded, and in the 2016–2017 school year, they sponsored 29 projects, serving 870 teachers, and reaching 80 percent of Texas districts.
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From page 50... ...
The first math circle in the United States was founded in 2006, and a decade later there are now 200 math teacher circle sites in 40 states.4 This is a grassroots endeavor, Hendrickson explained. Teachers interested in starting a math circle attend a training session with a national organization, and receive ongoing support as they build their own circle.
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From page 51... ...
A three-week summer residential program in Utah sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Study, described by Gail Burrill of Michigan State University, is a professional development experience that builds teacher leaders and provides them with a nationwide network of colleagues who become resources for one another.5 This is almost like a "math camp," she explained, where mathematicians, researchers, undergraduates, graduate students, and K–12 teachers meet in a common space to pursue their own particular program with some shared activities. One component of the larger program is the Teacher Leadership Program, which is designed to help teachers deepen their content knowledge, engage them in reflecting on their instructional practice, and help them become a resource for their colleagues.
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From page 52... ...
In the afternoons the teachers work with several peers to design professional development activities to use with their colleagues in their local schools and districts. These include engaging in a lesson study, developing rubrics for evaluating student use of the Common Core State Standards mathematical practices, or researching benchmark tasks that can be used to introduce a mathematical topic.
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From page 53... ...
FIGURE 7-4 Model of a coherent instructional system. SOURCE: Kara Jackson, University of Washington, Seattle, workshop presentation.
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From page 54... ...
It is critical that teachers receive consistent guidance not only within their schools but also across different contexts throughout the district. DISCUSSION A closing discussion focused on similarities and differences between F inland and the United States in their professional development opportunities for teachers.
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