Mathematics

This panel addresses the need for professional development in light of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Composed of researchers and practitioners, participants in the panel will share what research has to say about the need for offering teachers quality professional development at scale, as well as what practitioners have to say about current efforts to support and prepare teachers who are ready for the implementation of the new standards.

Advancing understanding of how early learning of mathematics progress is dependent on the development of good measures. Presenters of this session produced the “Research-based Early Mathematics Assessment” (REMA), and now better understand its limitations. They are now creating and evaluating a substantial revision of the REMA using emerging multidimensional theoretical models, both cognitive and psychometric. The development of this instrument will lead to substantive advances in the fields of mathematics education research, cognitive psychology, and psychometric theory. 

In this session, presenters from three projects seek to elaborate teaching practices in mathematics and science that support the development of central mathematical or scientific ideas and result in significant learning opportunities for students. More specifically, they seek to ground a larger conversation about equity in mathematics and science education in the sharing of specific analyses of their work. All three presentations focus on supporting teachers’ development of ambitious (rigorous and equitable) instructional practices.

Participants are invited to play online games embedded in a data-analysis environment, analyzing their game data to improve their strategy. The structure follows an abbreviated version of classroom activities that presenters are now field testing. Product release is scheduled to begin in fall 2012. (Participants should bring a laptop computer that can connect with conference wifi.) With each game-based activity, subsequent discussion focuses on different issues about which presenters would like feedback.

There is much support for embedding teachers’ professional learning in the analysis of practice. This approach can engage teachers in deepening both their content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge in more meaningful contexts than typical courses or professional development workshops. The purposes of this session are (1) to examine four different approaches to analysis of practice in professional development work with mathematics and science teachers and (2) to consider the affordances and constraints of different strategies for assessing the impact of these approaches.