Example of the work of mathematicians in math

education policy

Salomé Martínez

Departamento de Ingeniería MatemáticaCentro de Modelamiento Matemático

Universidad de Chile

Standards for pre-service teacher training

• During 2009-2011 the Standards for preservice elementary and high school teachers (math) were developed by a team lead by Patricio Felmer from the Center for Mathematical Modeling.

• These standards are official guidelines of the Ministry of Education. Not mandatory.

• INICIA Diagnostic Evaluation is aligned with the standards.

• These standards follow a previous initiative done in the context of a Fondef project where Standards for Science and Math for pre-service high school teachers were developed (2005-2007).

• The team behind the standards have a compromise with them. I will provide examples.

• The standards are part of several measures that have impacted the preparation of teachers.

Context

There have been several initiatives to improve initial teacher training

•  INICIA PROGRAM

Development of standards for initial teacher preparation

INICIA Diagnostic Evaluation.

• Beca Vocación de Profesor:

A fellowship to attract better students to the teaching profession (since 2010). To obtain the fellowship the PSU score must be greater or equal than 600.

An institution is eligible to receive students with fellowship if it agrees to accept students only with more than 500 points in PSU (national admission test). 

• Convenios de Desempeño en Formación de Profesores, Mineduc grant to finance universities that prepare teachers (through a 3 year grant). The goal is to promote significant strategical changes (7 institutions 2012+4 institutions 2013).

Standards• The standards were developed by a large and diverse team of mathematicians

and math educators, from different institutions (about 15 and half math and math ed).

• The teams for the standards for elementary teachers and high school math teachers were different, but several mathematicians participated in both.

• In each process we considered a large consulting team. To account for diversity.

• The work was collaborative and very open.

• The discussions and agreement demanded a lot of work.

• The standards development require persistence, regarding different issues: collaborative work, political…

• A key product of the standards was the open collaboration between math and math educators. To know each other is key to develop trust, which was very important to develop new projects.

• From the beggining we wanted the standards to be alive, not a law written in stone.The standards are the product of a certain moment and also capacities. Our views, needs, sensitivities evolve. The standards have to be modified as a byproduct of its use.

Standards for elementary school teachers

• The standards presented in this report focus on the knowledge, skills that primary (high) school teachers should have at the end of the preservice training in order to teach 1st-6th (7th-12th) grade in the Chilean school system.

• The approach used sought to avoid the harmful separation of content from pedagogy.

• Several consultations and evaluations:

Permanent consuting team

Ministry of Education

Council of Deans of Faculties of Education

Experts (math and education)

International experts: National Institute of Education (Singapore), Michigan State University.

Teachers and preservice teachers

Educational foundations

Structure of the standards for pre-serviceStrands

• Numbers

• Geometry and measurement

• Algebra

• Data and Chance

Dimensions

• Knowing the content to teach

• Knowing how to teach the content

Examples

Examples

Implementation

• I think it is very important that we facilitate the implementation of the math education policy we are involved.

• This is very important and it is usually very demanding, particularly because it involves many institutions and realities.

• Important example: Common Core – Engage NY

• In our case, we got involved with different initiatives:

Development of the INICIA Diagnostic Evaluation (designed according to standards)

Evaluation of Convenios de Desempeño en Formación Inicial Docente

Follow the implementation of Convenios de Desempeño

Production of resources that help adopt the standards.

Work with teacher educators

Present and explain the standards…

ChangesEnrollment (Preservice) (1st year)

Elementary School

High School (Math)

AÑOTOTAL

MATRICULADOS PRIMER AÑO

2008 54942009 53592010 56762011 46432012 41272013 3088

AÑOTOTAL

MATRICULADOS PRIMER AÑO

2008 10512009 9492010 11632011 13662012 11582013 787

02468

10

Porcentaje promedio de cursos de matemática

20072014

4,0-4,99

5,0-5,99

6,0-6,99

7,0-7,998-8,99

9,0-9,99

10,0-10,99

11,0-11,99

12,0-12,9905

101520253035

Porcentaje alumnos según por-centaje de cursos de matemática

% matriculados 2008 % matriculados 2013

% cursos de matemática

% a

lum

nos

02468

10

% promedio de cursos de lengua-je

20072014

4,0-4,99

5,0-5,99

6,0-6,99

7,0-7,998-8,99

9,0-9,99

10,0-10,99

11,0-11,99

12,0-12,99

13,0-13,990

5

10

15

20

25

30

Porcentaje de alumnos según porcentaje de cursos de lenguaje

% matriculados 2008% matriculados 2013