MathPath

Maryland Public Television, Owings Mills MD

Investigators

Abstract

Maryland Public Television (MPT), in partnership with the Math Forum at Drexel University and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), is establishing an elementary math pathway as part of the National STEM Education Distributed Learning program (NSDL). The primary target audience for MathPath is elementary classroom teachers and specialists, including coaches and supervisors. Additional audiences include higher educators involved in teacher preparation and parents. The overarching goal of MathPath is: 1) to make high-quality digital mathematics content available to the target audience; and 2) to contextualize the resources so that educators can easily incorporate them into effective math instruction. To accomplish these goals, MPT is: 1) forming and strengthening collaborative relationships; 2) identifying content for inclusion in MathPath; 3) specifying requirements for the MathPath website; 4) developing, testing and refining the MathPath website; 5) developing MathPath professional development resources; 6) launching, promoting, and supporting the MathPath website; and 7) evaluating the implementation and outcomes of the MathPath project. Intellectual Merit: It is well recognized that the elementary grades are critical in building a strong foundation of mathematical knowledge that will lead to students' success in algebra and beyond. At the same time, it has become clear that many teachers who provide this instruction have weak math content knowledge and pedagogy. A well-designed NSDL Pathway can help increase the likelihood that elementary educators have the knowledge and instructional resources they need to teach math effectively and ensure the success of all students, including minority and other at-risk students. Using the capabilities of Web 2.0 provide the means for not only offering content but for involving users in a learning community built around a collection of high-quality resources. MathPath users are taking advantage of an interactive and participatory environment using such tools as blogs, wikis, podcasting, and digital video. Broader Impacts: To address the high level of concern about improving elementary math instruction, there is increasing interest in developing and certifying elementary math specialists. While formal recognition and certification of elementary math specialists is just now emerging, there are many educators who currently have the interest and are responsible for ensuring high-quality mathematics instruction for elementary students. This includes classroom teachers who only teach math, lead or resource teachers who spend most of their time coaching and mentoring classroom teachers, and district elementary math coordinators and supervisors. These are people who are likely to seek out quality resources and to share them with colleagues. MathPath is filling an important position in the NSDL by aggregating high-quality content and providing the information and professional development that elementary educators need to use digital math content effectively. While there are numerous sources of content on the Web, there is no one trusted source for both digital content and opportunities to learn in the area of elementary mathematics education.