Investigating the Needs of Elementary School Teachers of Mathematics at Different Points During Sustained Professional Development

San Diego State University Foundation, San Diego CA

Investigators

Abstract

This five-year Teacher Professional Continuum Research project seeks to map a trajectory for the evolution of elementary school mathematics teachers engaged in sustained professional development. Bringing together expertise from the School of Education and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the project is housed at the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE) at San Diego State University. The goal of the project is to identify and understand the evolution of elementary school mathematics teachers' changing perspectives and needs as they participate in professional development. Drawing from a pool of more than 500 elementary school teachers, the sample includes 120 elementary school mathematics teachers engaged in sustained professional development for different lengths of time. Four teacher cohorts of 30 teachers each are represented in the study as initial participants, advancing participants, teacher leaders and preservice. Initial participants are in the beginning stage of sustained professional development. Advancing participants have completed at least two years, and teacher leaders at least four years of sustained professional development. The preservice cohort provides a critical anchor for the beginning teachers' evolutionary trajectory and insights into groups at later trajectory points. Three diverse school districts in San Diego County participate in the study. The study investigates the central research question of what are the similarities and differences among elementary school teachers at three points during sustained professional development in terms of their knowledge, beliefs and practices. Project participants have been involved in Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), an NSF-funded research and professional development effort focused on addressing children's mathematics thinking. The study employs a cross-sectional design to investigate teacher change and growth on distinct points along the trajectory. Mixed methods and triangulation of data will be utilized to analysis multiple measures of teacher growth (beliefs, knowledge and practices). The research instrumentation will involve belief surveys, content assessments, observation protocols for professional development and classroom instruction and noticing instruments to assess teacher interpretation of classroom interactions. Eight case studies provide in-depth analyses of teachers' knowledge, beliefs and practices at four distinct points of the teacher professional continuum within the context of sustained professional development: prospective teachers, initial participants, advancing participants and teacher leaders. Additionally, a longitudinal analysis of eight cases provides important information about the changing needs of teachers as they evolve from initial participants to advancing participants. Secondary to the central research question is a formative assessment on the relevance and application of the research findings to the field, specifically the community of professional development providers. The formative assessment will examine the usefulness of research findings to disparate models of professional development for both prospective and practicing teachers. Professional development facilitators and providers will participate as co-researchers in the formative assessment component and will participate in dissemination of the research findings.