Scaling Up SimCalc: Professional Development for Integrating Technology to Teach More Complex Mathematics (Phase 1)

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The investigators posit that students' mastery of complex and conceptually difficult mathematics in the middle and high school years can be vastly improved. The tools they have chosen to advance this goal include (1) access to powerful hardware and software and (2) a strong professional development that focuses on the mathematics content, knowledge of how students learn, and the use of powerful technological tools. The proposed intervention includes both components by building on comprehensive teacher professional development to support teaching with SimCalc, Geometer's Sketch Pad, and Fathom-data analysis. There is evidence supporting the efficacy of SimCalc to improve learning outcomes; this project would test the robustness of the intervention for teachers whose content and technology background varies in representative ways. The focal topic in this intervention is rate of change. The experimental design proposed in this Phase I proposal is cast as pilot work for Phase II research because it uses a design that would be fitting for a Phase II project.