Classroom Practice

CAREER: Developing Elementary Preservice Teachers' Understandings and Abilities to Support Emerging Bilingual Students Scientific Sensemaking

Principal Investigator:
The overall goals for this CAREER project are to identify and develop ways for best preparing elementary preservice teachers to support multilingual students’ scientific sensemaking, specifically as seen through engagement in science practices. Here, we (1) provide a synthesis of the literature to date regarding multilingual students’ experiences with science practices, and (2) offer concrete directions for future research in order to expand views around what is recognized and valued as scientific sensemaking repertoires.
 
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Synchronous Online Video-Based Development for Rural Mathematics Coaches (Collaborative Research: Amador and Choppin)

Principal Investigator:

The goal of the project is to support mathematics coaches to (a) facilitate productive planning and debriefing conversations with teachers; (b) notice salient coaching practices and their impact on teachers' thinking; and (c) use evidence of teacher learning to make decisions about their own coaching practices. We engage coaches in a three-part professional development model that includes (a) an online course on content-focused coaching, (b) one-on-one video-based coaching cycles, and (c) an online video club.

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Synchronous Online Video-Based Development for Rural Mathematics Coaches (Collaborative Research: Amador and Choppin)

Principal Investigator:

The goal of the project is to support mathematics coaches to (a) facilitate productive planning and debriefing conversations with teachers; (b) notice salient coaching practices and their impact on teachers' thinking; and (c) use evidence of teacher learning to make decisions about their own coaching practices. We engage coaches in a three-part professional development model that includes (a) an online course on content-focused coaching, (b) one-on-one video-based coaching cycles, and (c) an online video club.

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The Power of Interviewing Students

A teacher uses formative assessment interviews to uncover evidence of students’ understandings and to plan targeted instruction in a mathematics intervention class. Authors present an example of a student interview, a discussion of the benefits and challenges of conducting interviews, and actionable suggestions for implementing them.

MacVicar, T. J., Brodesky, A. R., and Fagan, E. R. (2021). The power of interviewing students. Mathematics Teacher: Learning and Teaching PK-12, 114(6), 436–444.

Author/Presenter

Theresa J. MacVicar

Amy R. Brodesky

Emily R. Fagan

Year
2021
Short Description

A teacher uses formative assessment interviews to uncover evidence of students’ understandings and to plan targeted instruction in a mathematics intervention class. Authors present an example of a student interview, a discussion of the benefits and challenges of conducting interviews, and actionable suggestions for implementing them.

Reasoning Language for Teaching Secondary Algebra

Principal Investigator:

Reasoning Language for Teaching Secondary Algebra (ReLaTe-SA) is working in partnership with the San Antonio Independent School District to investigate the algebraic reasoning and discourse tools that secondary mathematics teachers use to make algebra concepts accessible for students and orchestrate and respond to student work on mathematics tasks. We are investigating teachers' algebraic discourse through written surveys, interviews, and a year-long professional development program focused on enhancing students' opportunities for algebraic reasoning in the classroom.

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Professional Development Supports for Teaching Bioinformatics through Mobile Learning

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Bioinformatics is an emerging area of research that develops new knowledge through computational analysis of vast biological data. This project investigates the professional development (PD) supports needed for teaching bioinformatics at the high school. Building from a robust literature in PD design research, project team worked with science teachers to co-design instructional modules to engage students with core bioinformatics concepts and data literacies, by focusing on local community health issues supported through mobile learning activities.
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PBS News Hour Student Reporting Labs StoryMaker: STEM-Integrated Student Journalism

Principal Investigator:
Sneak peek at StoryMaker, a video storytelling platform /educator co-learning community supporting students to produce videos about STEM projects.
PI: Leah Clapman, PBS NewsHour
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Learning Trajectories as a Complete Early Mathematics Intervention: Achieving Efficacies of Economies at Scale

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The ULTIMATE (Understanding Learning Trajectories In Math: Advancing Teacher Education) project will evaluate Learning Trajectories as a complete early mathematics intervention by supporting teachers in deepening their understanding of how children learn mathematics and how to incorporate this understanding. Drs. Clements and Sarama have built a professional development tool, called Learning and Teaching with Learning Trajectories, or [LT]2. The team will investigate the positive impacts both in supporting teachers and on students' learning of mathematics.
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Improving Grades 6-8 Students' Mathematics Achievement in Modeling and Problem Solving through Effective Sequencing of Instructional Practices

Principal Investigator:

With operating title Researching Order of Teaching (ROOT), this project brings together 100 middle grades mathematics teachers in a teacher-researcher alliance to articulate effective instructional practices for promoting modeling and problem-solving achievement. Strategies center around Explicit Attention to Concepts and Student Opportunities to Struggle, culminating in a randomized cluster crossover trial. The poster includes results from the first two years, featuring professional development materials, a video observation tool, and findings from classroom studies.

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Design Research on the Teaching and Learning of Conceptual Understanding in High School Chemistry Though the Use of Dynamic Visualizations of Physical and Chemical Changes

Principal Investigator:
To move from an emphasis on description of phenomena to deep understanding consistent with the NGSS, this project develops new teaching and research scholars with expertise in building conceptual understanding through the effective use of visualization to help their students build accurate molecular-level mental models to explain phenomena. VisChem Institutes employ carefully produced animations with teaching strategies informed by a cognitive learning model. Research thus far has explored early teacher chemistry and pedagogical learning.
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