Applied Research -- A Study of Teacher Education: Research on Instructional Design (Project ASTEROID)

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

Despite the recent popularity of case-based instruction and other practice-based forms of teacher education, we know little about how such instruction is enacted and what teachers actually learn from participating in courses that utilize such an approach. The goal of Project ASTEROID is to produce empirical evidence of what teachers learn as a result of participating in practice-based teacher education courses. Three primary kinds of data will be collected in this regard: (a) pre- and post-measures of teacher knowledge of mathematics, of pedagogy, and of student learning; (b) continuous measures of teachers' developing understanding during the courses; and (c) observational data that focus on teachers' classroom practices. We plan to map what teachers learn on to various course experiences and how that learning does or does not transfer to actual classroom teaching. The courses will focus on two areas of the middle school mathematics curriculum that have been problematic for teachers: proportional reasoning and algebra as the study of patterns and functions. In the courses, the everyday work of teaching is the object of on-going investigation and thoughtful inquiry. Through the examination of records of authentic practice -- mathematics tasks selected from innovative curricula, student responses to mathematical tasks, and episodes of classroom instruction -- teachers develop an understanding of mathematics, of mathematics pedagogy, and of students as learners of mathematics As we develop procedures for studying the implementation and impact of the courses, we will systematically document the processes and instruments that we find effective. These will be made available to the field for use in the documentation and evaluation of other teacher education and professional development efforts.