Deep Experience of Mathematics: Impact on Teachers
Studies of teacher quality have shown that teachers who know more mathematics generally have students who achieve at higher levels in mathematics (Darling-Hammond, 2000; Rivkin, Hanushek & Kain, 2005). Researchers agree that teachers who know more mathematics will communicate more of it, and communicate it more precisely and correctly, than teachers who know less of the subject. But designing professional development aimed at increasing teachers' knowledge of mathematics can be done in many ways with varying effects on classroom practice (Loucks-Horsley, et al, 2003; Boyle, Lamprianou, & Boyle, 2005; Simon, et al, 1991).
Teachers' knowledge of mathematics is typically measured in terms of an undergraduate degree or certification in mathematics. But researchers agree that there are different ways of learning mathematics and that teachers' beliefs about the nature of mathematics and about themselves as learners of mathematics has a strong influence on their classroom practice. This "what you teach is what you get" (Cuoco, Goldenberg, & Mark, 1997; Wu, 1999) principle has been shown to account for much of the variability in student mathematics learning.
This session will examine and challenge the nature of evidence for claims of effectiveness for the mathematics-intensive professional development activities offered by four MSPs. All four of our MSPs offer professional development in the form of significant experiences of mathematical / scientific investigation for teachers. These take various forms: "teacher institutes" or "immersion experiences" or "study groups" and in most cases they engage teachers over a span of several years.
The goal of this session is to facilitate a broad discussion around the following set of questions:
- Immersion Experiences for teachers -- different MSP models, and evidence for claims of effectiveness
- What have we learned from our collective experimentation with various forms of immersion?
- What impact do mathematics-focused school communities have on teacher professionalism and on recruitment and retention of highly effective teachers?
- How are the variables interrelated and how do changes in the variables effect the outcome in terms of effective classroom teaching
- What constitutes real evidence of change in mathematics education?
- What research is needed to provide such evidence?
The session will be organized as a panel discussion, interspersed with a sequence of short presentations by panelists from the four MSPs.
