SGER: Finding Principles For K-6 Curriculum Materials that Promote Rather than Require Professional Development

Education Development Center, Waltham MA

Investigators

Abstract

0000368 GOLDENBERG This one-year project will conduct research designed to identify ways of organizing curriculum materials that will not only effectively teach elementary school mathematics to children, but also simultaneously provide professional development for the elementary teachers who use the materials. As new curriculum materials are created it is critical we find out how the use of innovative curriculum materials can provide professional development for the teachers who use those materials. The project will use existing elementary school mathematics curriculum materials ("Math Workshop," written several decades ago by Wirtz, Botel, Beberman and Sawyer) as a base for creating one or two sample units which illustrate a proposed curriculum organization framework. These materials will be piloted with a small group of teachers and students in Massachusetts. Evaluation data will include teacher interviews and classroom observations. The evaluation will focus particularly on the ways that teachers' knowledge of mathematics changes as a result of using the materials. These data will be analyzed to determine if the proposed framework is appropriate. If not, the data will suggest ways of modifying that framework. NSF's support for this project is $84,791.