Responding to the Call for Change: Characterizing the Mathematics Preparation of Elementary School Teachers

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Soloman A. Garfunkel DUE-9452958 COMAP FY1995 $100,000 Arlington, MA 02174 Special Project/TP Title: Responding to the Call for Change: Characterizing the Mathematics Preparation of Elementary School Teachers This project is a one year national effort having as its goal to examine the content of the college/university mathematics experiences (viz., course offerings, content emphases, and alignment with the spirit of current reform efforts) of prospective elementary teachers. The plan has three objectives: 1. Conduct a survey of colleges and universities to gather up-to-date information about current practices in teacher preparation programs. (This objective has already been achieved through funding from NSF and Exxon Foundation - see Appendix B.) 2. Identify and collect materials (textbooks, materials developed by funded projects, and locally-developed materials) that are currently being used by colleges and universities around the United States. 3. Characterize the materials collected with respect to attributes such as: (1) the unifying themes ("big mathematical ideas") for the materials, (2) the organization, sequencing, and presentation of mathematics content, (3) the primary pedagogical features of the materials (e.g., instructional approaches recommended by the authors, grouping schemes promoted, and types of assessment techniques used), (4) the use made of technology, including computer software and manipulatives, and (5) the degree of the alignment of the materials with recently developed (or presently under development) materials by the various elementary and middle grades curriculum development projects sponsored by NSF. The project will involve collaboration among three primary sites: COMAP, Indiana University, and the University of Chicago