ALM15/July2008/Schmitt1 Initial Findings from Research on the TIAN Project A New Professional Learning Model for Adult Education Math Teachers Mary Jane

ALM15/July2008/Schmitt 1

Initial Findings from Research on the TIAN Project

A New Professional Learning Model for Adult Education Math Teachers

Mary Jane Schmitt TERC, Cambridge, MA

Beth Bingman & Center for Literacy Studies,

Donna Curry University of Tennessee

contact:[email protected]


• Project overview

• The PD component

• The research componentmethodology

early findings

• Discussion


Project Overview

• 4-year collaboration (2005-2009)– Center for Literacy Studies, University of

Tennessee– TERC, Cambridge, MA

• Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Teacher Professional Continuum initiative

• Final Product: A sustainable staff development model for adult math and numeracy teachers, available nationally


Assumptions

•Math is more than procedures

•Quality PD has some essential features


Math is more than procedures•Conceptual Understanding

•Adaptive Reasoning

•Strategic Competence

•Procedural Fluency

•Productive Disposition

Source: “Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics”,

http://newton.nap.edu/catalog/9822.html

http://newton.nap.edu/catalog/9822.html


Quality PD has some essential features

•occurs over time

•helps instructors advance their own conceptual understanding of mathematics and the way adults learn

•helps instructors connect content and materials to authentic, real-world numeracy/mathematics situation

Source: “An Environmental Scan Of Adult Numeracy Professional Development Initiatives And Practices,” American Institutes For Research®


Quality PD has some essential features

•reflects the research on how adults learn

•reflects national (e.g., NCTM, AMATYC, EFF) or state standards

•accommodates dissimilar mathematical backgrounds of participants

Source: “An Environmental Scan Of Adult Numeracy Professional Development Initiatives And Practices,” American Institutes For Research®


Our Overarching Question

What does it take to help the adult education workforce move closer in belief and practice to mathematics instruction that addresses fluency

with procedures, conceptual understanding, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, and

a productive disposition?


Project goals focused on impact regarding

•Teachers’ content knowledge

•Teachers’ classroom practice

•Teachers’ connection with state standards

•State’s capacity to support high quality mathematics instruction (leadership development)


Effective Processes for Teacher Change

•Teachers do mathematics themselves, with an emphasis on learning with understanding

•Close examination and discussion of student work


The PD model


TIAN Pilot to Final


Six teacher cohorts

• Pilot (2005 >)• MA & OH• n = 40

• Field Test (2006 >)• AZ, KS, LA & RI• n = 80


Pilot cohort

• 3/4 teach in open-entry, open exit programs• work for school districts,city, community

college, community based organizations• Their students spend 3.6 hrs/week on

average “doing math”• 90% teach other subjects as well• small math class size (4-18, mean = 9)


The First Intensive Year’s Objectives

• Increase your own understanding of data and algebra-related math content

• Experience, reflect upon, and plan lessons for your students (Using EMPower materials)

• Read and critically respond to relevant mathematics research

• Connect assessment and instruction with state frameworks


Pedagogical Objectives

• Work collaboratively on open-ended investigations

• Share strategies and understandings orally and in writing

• Justify answers in multiple ways

• Use meaningful contexts as entry points


TIAN Intensive Year Timelinepre TIAN classroom observations

Fall Institute 1 (2 days)

November - February Classroom tryout of EMPower Data and Graphs lessons

Two regional (within state) meetings

Work Sample 1

Winter Institute 2 (2 days)

February - May Classroom tryout of EMPower Algebraic Thinking lessons

Two regional (within state) meetings

Work sample 2

Spring Institute 3 (2 days)

Post-TIAN classroom observations


Institute 1 Goals for You and Your Students

• Collect, organize, and represent data.• Make accurate statements about data using percents

and fractions.• Create and interpret frequency graphs, bar graphs,

circle graphs, and line graphs.• Use scale to change the story a graph tells.• Interpret graphs with different scales.• Use mean and median to describe a data set.Teacher Knowledge Goals Include:• Compare two or more data sets.• Use and interpret scatter plots.


Institute 2 Goals for Your and Your Students

• Identify patterns and predict outcomes of a variety of situations.

• Describe patterns and relationships using diagrams, words, tables, graphs, and/or equations.

• Understand how different representations are related.• Recognize the characteristics of linear patterns.• Use basic algebraic notation.

Two Teacher Knowledge Goals Include:• Determine the line of best fit for scatter plots.• Develop mathematical models from situations.


A Modeling Approach to Algebra Keeps the Situation Central


The research(early indications)


Data collection instruments

Pre-Post Questionnaires

Pre-Post Classroom Observations

Pre-Post Content Assessments

Open-ended writing prompts

Work samples (2)

Meeting notes, reflections

Interviews (one and two years later)


TIAN Project Goal 2

Enhanced teacher knowledge of research-based adult education mathematics standards

Data sources:Pre/post assessmentPhone interviews (one year later)

(questionnaires,work samples, observations, interviews)



Use of standards

Pre-assessment– 50% of the field test teachers said they did

not use the standards – 16% described using the standards to plan

and assess instruction.

Post-assessment– 11% said they did not use the standards– 62% reported using them to frame

instruction.


One Year Later…Only two of the 20 interviewees who were still teaching adults

reported that they rarely or never used their state mathematics

standards; all the others reported using the math standards to

varying degrees.


TIAN Project Goal 3

Increased and deepened mathematics content knowledge of teacher participants in the areas of data analysis and algebraic reasoning

Data sources:• Pre/post content assessment(questionnaires, work samples, interviews)



• While almost all teachers (95% pre,

100% post) could calculate the mean by finding the sum of the numbers, then dividing by 5, a greater proportion could show at least one other strategy in the post test (85% post vs 61% pre), and more could use a third strategy (33% post vs 20% pre). This ability to determine the mean through a visual approach, or by an alternative arithmetic strategy was evidence of a deeper understanding of the concept of average.


One Year Later…75% of the twenty teachers interviewed reported some positive change in their understanding of mathematics.

Changes in math understanding named:

•Deepened, improved 6

•Specific math knowledge 3

•Confidence 3

•New ways of thinking 2

• Multiple approaches to solving problems 3

•No change 5


TIAN Project Goal 4

Increased repertoire of instructional strategies of teachers who work with adults in pre-GED (levels 3 and 4 of six levels) classes.

Data sources:• Pre/post questionnaire(classroom observations, work samples,

interviews)




One Year Later…Most (17/20) reported using at least one instructional approach presented and modeled by TIAN including: – Using activities and materials from TIAN – Using hands-on materials – Using real-life contexts for math instruction – Small group work – Increased focus on concepts and problem solving– More examination of students’ thinking – Using and accepting multiple approaches to solving

problems


Discussion•What other questions could we have asked in the questionnaire?

•How could we get at teacher content knowledge (without a test)?

•If we need to streamline, how do we decide which elements of the TIAN pd model are most essential? Or, what should we add to the model?

Documents

ALM15/July2008/Schmitt1 Initial Findings from Research on the TIAN Project A New Professional Learning Model for Adult Education Math Teachers Mary Jane