Community College Mathematics Partnership for University Teacher Educators

Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc., Pomona CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by leading to the preparation of well-qualified and diverse elementary mathematics teachers. Through partnerships between community college and university mathematics teacher educators (MTEs), the project hopes to impact mathematics education at multiple levels. First, college faculty will be engaged in professional development that should greatly impact the instruction of math content courses for future elementary teachers. Second, college students will have increased opportunities to learn essential components of mathematics taught in elementary school classrooms, developing positive outlooks towards themselves as mathematicians. Third, the work intends to foster a regional community of MTE faculty. Faculty from multiple institutions will participate in two summer institutes and a year-long Professional Learning Community to discuss, engage, and support one another in the work of mathematics teacher education. This shared commitment towards math content courses will result in articulation between community colleges and Cal Poly Pomona. The broadest impact will be to increase the number of diverse and highly qualified teachers, specifically in math. The future teachers prepared in this region of California frequently go on to teach in historically underserved districts in Southern California. With increased entry points and more alignment in instruction, this work contributes to expanding the teacher pathway through training and preparing more qualified elementary teachers. There are two main goals for this project. The first goal is to develop and implement professional development designed to strengthen the teaching of a first mathematics content course for future elementary teachers at three community colleges and one university. These institutions are Mt. San Antonio College, Chaffey College, Riverside City College, and Cal Poly Pomona. The second goal is to foster a network of support consisting of colleagues within and outside participants’ institutions. Participants will engage in a sustained program that includes: 1) a one-week summer institute during Summer 2023 that provides intensive training of mathematical topics and pedagogical practices in the first math content course for elementary teachers, 2) a structured professional learning community to meet regularly during the academic year, and 3) a one-week follow-up institute that provides an opportunity for the community to further develop knowledge of course content and pedagogical practices. Evaluative data will include pre- and post-surveys as well as recordings of participants’ classroom teaching. Assessment will investigate perceived changes in mathematical knowledge, pedagogical practices, and sense of community support for teaching math content courses for elementary teachers. Additionally, lesson recordings will be used to understand participants’ pedagogical practices and changes over the duration of the project. Results from this study will be shared at conferences focused on the teaching of mathematics, two-year colleges, or both, such as the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges conference. Dissemination will support mathematics educators in better understanding professional development of MTEs and will also show how building a community across institutions may impact enrollment of students in degrees that lead to elementary school teaching. The NSF IUSE:EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.