- Year 2017
- NSF Noyce Award # 1660809
- First Name Mark
- Last Name Ellis
- Discipline Math
- Co-PI(s)
Martin Bonsangue, CSU Fullerton, mbonsangue@fullerton.edu
Ruth Yopp-Edwards, CSU Fullerton, ryopp@fullerton.edu
- Presenters
Mark Ellis, CSU Fullerton, mellis@fullerton.edu
Susanna Meza, Anaheim Union High School District, szmsuez@gmail.com
Need
Advancing Teachers of Mathematics to Advance Learning for All (ATMALA) will serve the national interest in strengthening mathematics teaching and learning for underserved students and communities in urban areas in and near Orange County in southern California. The primary focus of the project will be at the middle school and early high school level, a pivotal time during which students’ self-concepts about and interest in pursuing mathematics are crystallized. ATMALA will offer a model for supporting instructional shifts in schools where students historically have had less access to deep mathematics learning.
Goals
ATMALA will create a cadre of 20 Master Teaching Fellows. The project’s Master Teaching Fellows will be teacher-leaders in high impact districts serving a significant population of English language learners, who will not only model effective instructional practice but will also support their peers in learning to do so. The Master Teaching Fellows will become experts in their use of culturally responsive mathematics teaching (CRMT)- an approach that values students’ cultural assets and focuses on authentic and relevant mathematical experiences – and the eight Mathematics Teaching Practices (MTPs) identified by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Approach
Each Master Teaching Fellow will: (1) work to earn National Board Certification; (2) demonstrate competency in using culturally responsive mathematics teaching (CRMT) and the eight Mathematics Teaching Practices (MTPs); (3) support colleagues’ professional growth by creating and facilitating engagement with microcredential modules, each focused on a well-defined skill related to CRMT and the MTPs; and (4) support future teachers as cooperating teachers.
Outcomes
The implementation of ATMALA will result in a model of teacher-led professional development in high impact districts built around National Board Certification, principles of culturally responsive teaching, research-based mathematics teaching practices, and microcredential modules that promote competency-based teacher development. Project activities will be documented and evaluated in formative and summative reports. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to identify evidence-based outcomes related to teacher practices including examining students’ perceptions of the mathematics learning environment.
Broader Impacts
ATMALA leaders and participants will produce substantive dissemination works, including national presentations, refereed journal articles, and microcredential modules made widely available through collaboration with CSUF?s University Extended Education.
