- Year 2022
- NSF Noyce Award # 2151134
- First Name Ferdinand
- Last Name Rivera
- Discipline Mathematics
- Co-PI(s)
Lisa Simpson
- Presenters
David Goulette and Peg Hughes, SJSU
Need
Our project addresses concerns involving the performance results of all students in mathematics regardless of ability. Recent five-year trend reports (from 2015-2019) in California indicate that only 32% of Grade 11 students meet or exceed standards in mathematics, and the 2019 results indicate the persistence of performance gaps among students from different demographic groups. Furthermore, while many students across grade levels are able to process math items that require relatively simple steps, almost all students experience considerable difficulties in processing performance tasks. Results of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment convey the same findings relative to students’ difficulties in processing performance tasks, with the U.S. performing 7th below the average standing (32nd overall out of 79 countries). This is troubling for us because adolescents’ low mathematical literacy paves the way for adults’ negative life outcomes. Our project aims to transform a traditional teacher credential program into a subject matter-driven integrated program in which prospective math teachers learn mathematics content, math specific pedagogy, and evidence-based intervention strategies for dealing with typically developing students and students with special needs. Our program will address gaps in our research knowledge regarding the extent to which an integrated subject-matter driven model of secondary preservice math teacher education is effective.
Goals
Our undergraduate Math Integrated Teacher Education Program is among the very few innovative and potentially transformative teacher preparation programs in the nation that explicitly explores the implications of an integrated mathematical literacy-driven teacher preparation program using culturally-relevant performance tasks as our way of supporting growth in meaningful, social-justice oriented mathematics teaching and learning practices. Two research questions will be resolved: (1) What factors support the effective implementation of this preparation program model? Factors range from the courses we offer to students’ experiences in preservice and early inservice fieldwork. (2) How do preservice math teachers develop powerful and impactful integrated instructional teaching practices?
Approach
Our project’s underlying framework for organizing preservice math teacher learning uses the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s CalTPA 4-step evidence-based cycle (i.e., plan, teach and assess, reflect, apply and the research-derived Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction. Our students learn to plan asset-based instruction and assessments, teach and assess learning in their own math classrooms, reflect on their practice, and apply what they learned through their teaching, assessing, and reflection to future learning experiences for their students. They learn to make evidence-based decisions and reflections by (1) drawing from teaching actual students at their school sites using multiple modes, (2) writing narratives and annotating video-recorded episodes of teaching, and (3) providing teaching and learning work samples such as lesson plans, student work products, assessments and rubrics, feedback to students, and other instructional materials. Our preservice math teachers will also develop and implement lessons from an assessment-driven perspective. Our students will develop reflective action to not only learn how to analyze results from those assessments but to also use those results to change their practice. This “design-type” teaching is based on an instructional practice that is typically employed in all design research-driven math classroom teaching experiments. Our supervision practices will follow a “coach for equity” model.
Outcomes
Key outcomes: An empirically-validated model of secondary math teacher preparation program model that is subject matter-driven and integrates an equity mindset, culturally relevant pedagogy, and mathematical literacy, and is responsive to the needs of both typically developing students and students that require mild to moderate support; identification of factors that support the effective implementation of this subject-matter driven teacher preparation program model; and identification of powerful and impactful integrated instructional or teaching practices at the preservice math teacher level. Key deliverables: publication in journals; presentation of findings at conferences and meetings; reports to district partners; informational sessions for all teachers in the participating school districts; articulation sessions with our teacher education and special education colleague; share our findings in webinars supported by the California State University Chancellor’s Teacher Education Division; maintain a public project website; set up a Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter accounts. Next Steps: engage in program assessssment; prepare scholarship contracts; start providing scholarship to our first cohort of 14 juniors and seniors.
Broader Impacts
Our project will benefit our society and contribute to better outcomes for everyone since mathematics instruction and learning in high-needs classrooms will draw on explicit equity and inclusion principles and effective integrated teaching practices. In such classrooms, every student counts, and meaningful and authentic culturally relevant contexts are used to develop mathematical knowledge and skills. STEM teacher education programs, faculty, administrators, researchers, policy, teacher candidates, and teachers will be provided with a model for training the next generation of secondary mathematics teachers with strong math content and possess skillful integrated teaching practices. Next steps: Establish core high-leverage math integrated teaching practices that are inclusive and can support growth in math literacy skills in all students.
