- Year 2016
- NSF Noyce Award # 1136222
- First Name Rebecca
- Last Name Quander
- Discipline Mathematics
- Co-PI(s)
Jacqueline Sack, University of Houston Downtown, sackj@uhd.edu
Timothy Redl, University of Houston Downtown, redl@uhd.edu - Presenters
Jacqueline Sack, University of Houston Downtown, sackj@uhd.edu
Need
This project serves to produce highly qualified secondary math teachers to high needs urban school districts who suffer a serious shortage of STEM teachers. In addition, UH Downtown’s Urban Education Department seeks to increase the number of secondary teacher candidates through its focused field-based teacher certification preparation program. This project also provided faculty from pure mathematics and education departments to opportunity to collaborate and learn from each other.
Goals
(a) The overarching goal is to graduate 30 Noyce Mathematics Teacher Scholars over the course of the grant.
(b) Co-PIs from the Mathematics and Statistics Department and the Department of Urban Education co-teach specific courses, e.g., Geometry for High School Teachers, that integrate teaching methods and content. They also co-serve on committees to support each scholar in their senior math education research projects that are presented to the math faculty at large. The co-PI from the education department also oversees Noyce scholars’ field experience classroom placements to ensure they experience best teaching practices with high-needs middle and high school students. Ongoing in-service support includes classroom observations and instructional coaching as needed.
Approach
We use care theory (Noddings, 2012, 2005) to frame our systemic support of both pre-service and in-service secondary math teachers. The PI and Co-PIs of the project go out of their way to ensure each scholar has good experiences in the program. Having established close relationships with them as pre-service teachers provides them a strong support network as they move into their induction years as teachers.
(a) Through these approaches all of our scholars have graduated successfully.
(b) The relationships established with the project’s management team during their pre-service time have continued into their induction years as teachers.
Outcomes
This overarching care approach to our interactions with our scholars, attending to their stated needs, both emotional and instructional, has resulted in a high retention rate as teachers. Typical of induction year teachers, they have run into problems with balancing the work of teaching with personal needs; classroom management; and lack of support from veteran teachers in their schools. In some instances, they have shared that they will leave the profession due to these issues. The management team always discusses options, visits their classrooms, and provides strategies to keep them focused on staying in the classroom. This is in addition to regular classroom visits and follow-up discussions about their work and within their school communities.
Broader Impacts
(a) The broader impacts of the project include our high retention rate of induction year teachers from our project.
(b) The schools and districts where our pre-service scholars do their two semesters of field experiences (60 hours each semester where they work with small groups, plan and teach two formal lessons observed by a field instructor who provides critical feedback) and where they do their student teaching, usually hold positions for our graduates the following school year.
(c) We have presented aspects of our work at international (RME), national (AMTE) and regional (CAMT & NCTM) conferences, some of which have included our scholars. Publications include:
The community of practice among mathematics and mathematics education faculty members at an urban minority serving institution in the U. S. Innovative Higher Education. 41(2), 167-182.
Care as an Approach for Supporting Non-traditional Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers. (In review with Journal of Teacher Education).
Care as an Approach for Supporting Induction Years Secondary Mathematics Teachers from an Urban University Teacher Preparation Program. (Book chapter due end of Summer, 2016).
During Summer, 2016, we will develop an open-access web site with our geometry course activities that has been so successful in integrating research-based methods with content for high school teachers (and, in part, for middle and elementary grades teachers).
PI, Quander, and Co-PI, Sack, will serve as Co-PIs on UHD’s new Noyce ESPRIT fellowship project to support STEM professionals as career changers to become high school math or science teachers through the university’s Masters of Arts in Teaching program.
