The Elementary Mathematics Project

Trustees Of Boston University, Boston

Investigators

Abstract

The Elementary Mathematics Project will improve the mathematics preparation of future elementary teachers through the development of curricula and corresponding educative instructor support materials. National reports and policy recommendations highlight the importance of deepening pre-service teachers' understanding of elementary content and focusing on mathematical knowledge for teaching. Studies have shown that undergraduates' achievement is higher in elementary content courses where instructors report less lecturing and more student engagement and discussions. Furthermore, there is a tremendous need for materials and guidance for STEM faculty members to help implement effective research-based instructional strategies such as inquiry, active learning and discourse. This project will use design principles focused on deepening undergraduates' mathematical knowledge for teaching to create curriculum materials that include problems focused on connecting mathematical concepts, understanding why procedures work, using mathematical structure, identifying the mathematics in elementary students' thinking, and engaging in mathematical practices. Undergraduates will engage in recurring cycles of collaborative problem solving, group discussions and presentation. The project will help transform the field by providing mathematicians and teacher educators responsible for preparing elementary teachers with web access to a wide array of lessons, instructional tools and strategies. The research outcomes will contribute to the growing body of knowledge about the mathematical preparation of future teachers. The goals of the Elementary Mathematics Project will be to: 1) develop and test nationally four instructional units on whole number concepts, whole number operations, geometry and decimals; 2) develop and test interactive, web-based PD materials for instructors focused on instructional practices; 3) increase pre-service teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching whole number, decimal and geometry content; and 4) increase instructors' knowledge and enactment of instructional practices as a result of using the developed units and professional development supports. To address these goals, a 5-year project will be undertaken. During the project, a curriculum will be written (30 lessons, each with an educative instructor guide), piloted, revised, and field-tested with 3,000-4,000 undergraduates and over 80 instructors. Data on the effectiveness of the developed units will be collected using pre- and post-tests and student surveys, and analyzed using a range of statistical methods including hierarchical linear modeling. Professional development materials, including videos of lesson enactments, a video library searchable by mathematical topic and instructional strategy, webinars, interactive discussion boards and forums, and face-to-face workshops, will also be developed. The effectiveness of these materials and the accompanying professional development supports on instructors' knowledge and teaching practices will be investigated using surveys, interviews, and classroom observations, analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Dissemination of materials will occur through faculty workshops, webinars, publication of materials, and an expanded interactive website that includes all student and instructor materials. The project's research findings will be disseminated through conference presentations and journal article submissions.