Slide1 : Facets of Professional Development:
One Size Does Not Fit All
Nadine Bezuk and Steve Klass
CMC-N 2005--CAMTE Strand
Today’s Session : Today’s Session Welcome and introductions
What we know about professional development
What we do in our professional development
Impact of our work
Questions/discussion
Characteristics of Expert Teachers : Characteristics of Expert Teachers Know the structure of the knowledge in their disciplines;
Know the conceptual barriers that are likely to hinder learning;
Have a well-organized content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); and
Continuously assess their own learning, knowledge, and practices.
(Bransford, Brown, and Cocking, 1999, p. 230)
Effective Professional Development : Effective Professional Development Is driven by a well-defined image of effective classroom learning and teaching;
Provides opportunities for teachers to build their content and PCK and examine practice;
Is research-based and engages teachers as adult learners in the learning approaches they will use with their students; (continued)
Effective Professional Development (continued) : Effective Professional Development (continued) Provides opportunities for teachers to collaborate with colleagues and others to improve their practice;
Supports teachers to serve in leadership roles;
Links with other parts of the education system; and
Is designed based on student learning data and is continuously evaluated and improved.
Loucks-Horsley et al. (2003), p. 44
Our Belief System : Our Belief System Good professional development blends content and pedagogy.
Teachers with this understanding can teach effectively from any curriculum materials.
Good professional development is led by people with K-12 teaching experience and expertise in mathematics and/or mathematics education.
All students can learn mathematics.
Assessment should be used to inform instruction.
Use student thinking to make instructional decisions.
SDSU Professional Development : SDSU Professional Development Supported by a $5.1M grant from Qualcomm to Improve Student Achievement in Mathematics (ISAM).
This is the sixth year of our work.
We offer:
University certificates and coursework
District partnerships
Professional development
Characteristics of Our Professional Development : Characteristics of Our Professional Development Accountable for teacher growth and increased student achievement
Blends content and pedagogy
Links to classroom practice
Embeds equity
Sustained over time
Unique Facets of Our Work : Unique Facets of Our Work University certificate programs
District partnerships, including district-based professional development
University Certificate Programs : University Certificate Programs Mathematics Specialist Certificate Program (upper elementary)
Primary Mathematics Specialist Certificate Program
12 units of coursework
6 units of Mathematics coursework
6 units of Teacher Education coursework
We’re thinking about certificates for middle school and high school
University Certificate Programs : University Certificate Programs SDSU (not CTC) certificate
Shows that teachers have special expertise in teaching mathematics
Some districts reward recipients with stipends or salary credit
Includes 6 units of graduate credit
University ceremony is a morale booster
District Partnerships : District Partnerships What are the district’s needs related to mathematics?
Collaboratively plan:
Delivery model
Teacher participation
Starting options
District Needs : District Needs Improve student achievement (as measured by CST, CAHSEE)
Improve student success in algebra
Increase student participation in higher-level mathematics courses
Increase teacher effectiveness
Help teachers meet NCLB requirements
Teacher Participation : Teacher Participation Voluntary or mandatory
Specific grade ranges (e.g., grades 4 - 6) or specific content (e.g., algebra)
Working in a district with an intact group of teachers or a mixed group from several schools/districts
A Variety of Delivery Models : A Variety of Delivery Models One year, two years, more
After school (4.5 hours (with dinner) or 3 hours)
Release days with sub coverage
Saturday sessions
Weekly sessions
Day of the week
One day a month
Four days a year
A Variety of Starting Options : A Variety of Starting Options Summer start
Fall start
Winter start
We conduct informational sessions prior to the start of sessions.
Limiting Factors : Limiting Factors Time
Money--for stipends, subs, materials
Communication
Melding professional development and coursework/earning university credit for professional development
Distinctions Between Coursework and Professional Development : Distinctions Between Coursework and Professional Development
Assessing Students’ Understanding of Multiplication : Assessing Students’ Understanding of Multiplication What is multiplication? Write down anything you know about multiplication. You can use words, numbers and drawings.
Assessing Students’ Understanding of Multiplication : Assessing Students’ Understanding of Multiplication Can you draw a picture to show how you would solve this problem? Here is a multiplication fact: 7 x 6 Explain how you would figure out the answer. Can you write a story problem for 7 x 6? What does the 7 mean? What does the 6 mean? What does the answer tell us?
How We Measure Impact : How We Measure Impact Teacher growth: Content and pedagogy
Quantitative and anecdotal data
Student achievement
Gains on CST
Matched pairs analysis: San Diego City Schools students
Impact on Teachers’ Content Knowledge : Impact on Teachers’ Content Knowledge
Sample Item from the Rational Number Test : Sample Item from the Rational Number Test Place the following numbers in order from
smallest to largest: 0.42, 0.50, 0.423
Margaret, Sammy and Marie placed them in order
as follows. What might each of the students
have been thinking? How could you find out?
Margaret: 0.5 0.42 0.423
Sammy: 0.423 0.42 0.5
Maria: 0.42 0.423 0.5
Sample Item from the Geometry Test : Sample Item from the Geometry Test A teacher gave her class the following problem:
A floor measures 12 ft. x 15 ft. How much
carpet would be needed in square yards?
Here are two student’s responses:
Dave’s answer: 15 x 12 = 180. I divided by 3
Because there are 3 feet in a yard. My answer is
60 square yards.
Enrique’s response: But I got 20 square yards.
I divided 15 by 3 and then 12 by 3 and then
multiplied.
Is Dave’s answer correct or incorrect?
If Dave’s answer is correct, explain how you know it is correct.
Changes Reported by Teachers : Changes Reported by Teachers
Impact on Teachers’ Instructional Practices : Impact on Teachers’ Instructional Practices Teachers report that they now:
Try new strategies in their classrooms;
Select among many tools including the textbook, the pacing guide, and CGI principles; and
Recognize good mathematical problems from the text that will help students meet the standards.
Impact on Student Achievement : Impact on Student Achievement Challenges
Data collection and design
Quantitative data
Performance assessment analysis
How to identify a control/comparison group
Gains on CST Mean Scale Scores, 2003 - 2005 : Gains on CST Mean Scale Scores, 2003 - 2005 Matched-pairs study in progress.
One Teacher’s Comments About Our Impact on Her Teaching : One Teacher’s Comments About Our Impact on Her Teaching “I feel my knowledge and understanding of mathematics has been expanded to the point where I will never teach math the same again. I know too much about group/partner work, using manipulatives; reflective writing, student-directed teaching, student responsibility. In short, I feel enlightened. I feel I finally understand math.”
References : References Loucks-Horsley, S., et al. (2003). Designing professional development for teachers of science and mathematics (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (1999). How people learn. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Contact Us nbezuk@mail.sdsu.edu sklass@projects.sdsu.edu http://pdc.sdsu.edu : Contact Us nbezuk@mail.sdsu.edu sklass@projects.sdsu.edu http://pdc.sdsu.edu