Professional Development to Promote Discovery and Cooperative Learning

数学课程改革对学生学习什么和如何学习没有显著的影响，除非课堂教师了解了新发展的思想和方法，并得到支持将其融入到教学中。第一阶段小企业创新研究（SBIR）的研究结果为在职教师不仅提供培训和跟踪，而且提供持续支持的模式奠定了技术基础。研究结果还表明，教材出版商有重要的机会为其创新教材提供在职支持，从而支持遵守国家数学教师委员会（NCTM）的学校数学课程和评价标准。第二阶段研究的目标集中于(1)继续发展和测试专业发展模式；(2)扩大专业发展讲习班和研究所的范围，在地理上和超越第一阶段对几何的实质性重点；(3)制作一系列视频，用于提供或补充专业发展研讨会；(4)开办专业发展领导能力工作坊及相关资料；(5)为研讨会负责人、教师和数学主管出版中学数学专业发展通讯；(6)传播第一及第二阶段的研究结果。该项目旨在培养大量教师有效使用创新材料；将其在职模式应用于更多不同背景的学校（城市、郊区、农村）；将成功的专业发展模式推广到数学教育的其他领域：解决问题、微积分、核心数学课程、概率与统计；在服务中进行经济和有益的传播，研究技术的应用方法；促进计算机软件、图形计算器等创新技术工具在数学教学中的有效整合。该项目将有助于促进合理的课程改革，前提是教师是课堂变革的关键，专业发展是向教师提供新思想、新内容、新方法和新材料的关键。

Mathematics curriculum reform has no significant effect on what and how students learn unless classroom teachers learn about newly developed ideas and methods and get support for integrating them into their teaching. Results of the Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) study establish the technical basis for a model of teacher inservice offering not only training and follow-up but ongoing support. The results also demonstrate that there is an important opportunity for publishers of educational materials to play a key role in providing inservice support for their innovative materials which in turn support adherence to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. The objectives of the Phase II research focus on (1) continuing to develop and test a professional development model; (2) extending the range of professional development workshops and institutes both geographically and beyond its Phase I substantive focus on geometry; (3) creating a series of videos that can be used to provide or supplement professional development workshops; (4) starting professional development leadership workshops cum associated materials; (5) publishing a newsletter on professional development in secondary mathematics for workshop leaders, teachers, and mathematics supervisors; and (6) disseminating findings from Phases I and II. The project aims to prepare large numbers of teachers to use innovative materials effectively; to apply its inservice mode in more schools in a variety of settings (urban, suburban, rural); to propagate the successful professional development mode to other areas of mathematics education: problem solving, calculus, the core mathematics curriculum, and probability and statistics; to disseminate inservice economically and profitably, to research ways technology can be employed; and to promote effective integration of innovative technology tools such as computer software and graphing calculators into mathematics teaching. The project will contribute to the facilitation of sound curriculum change based on the premise that teachers are the key to producing change in the classroom and professional development is the key to reaching teachers with new ideas, content, methods and materials.