Investigating the Needs of Elementary School Teachers of Mathematics at Different Points During Sustained Professional Development

这个为期五年的教师专业连续体研究项目旨在为从事持续专业发展的小学数学教师的演变绘制轨迹。 该项目汇集了教育学院和数学与统计系的专业知识，设在圣地亚哥州立大学的数学与科学教育研究中心（CRMSE）。 该项目的目标是识别和理解小学数学教师的变化的观点和需求，因为他们参与专业发展的演变。 从500多名小学教师的游泳池，样本包括120名小学数学教师从事持续专业发展的不同时间长度。 四个教师队列的30名教师分别代表在研究中作为初始参与者，推进参与者，教师领导者和助理。 最初的参与者处于持续专业发展的开始阶段。 高级参与者已完成至少两年的持续专业发展，教师领导至少四年。 教师群体为初任教师的进化轨迹提供了一个关键的锚，并为后来的轨迹点提供了对群体的洞察力。 圣地亚哥县的三个不同学区参与了这项研究。本研究主要探讨国民小学教师在持续专业发展过程中，在知识、信念与实践三个层面上的异同点。 项目参与者参与了认知指导教学（CGI），这是一项由NSF资助的研究和专业发展工作，重点关注儿童的数学思维。 本研究采用横截面设计，探讨教师成长轨迹上沿着不同点的变化。 混合的方法和三角测量的数据将被用来分析教师成长的多个措施（信念，知识和实践）。 研究工具将涉及信念调查，内容评估，专业发展和课堂教学的观察协议和注意工具，以评估教师对课堂互动的解释。 八个案例研究提供了深入的分析，教师的知识，信念和做法在四个不同的点的教师专业连续不断的持续专业发展的背景下：未来的教师，最初的参与者，先进的参与者和教师领导者。 此外，八个案例的纵向分析提供了重要的信息，教师的需求不断变化，因为他们从最初的参与者发展到先进的参与者。 中心研究问题的次要问题是对研究结果与该领域，特别是专业发展提供者社区的相关性和应用进行形成性评估。 形成性评估将检查研究结果的有用性，以不同的模式的专业发展的未来和实践的教师。 专业发展促进者和提供者将作为共同研究者参与形成性评估部分，并将参与传播研究结果。

This five-year Teacher Professional Continuum Research project seeks to map a trajectory for the evolution of elementary school mathematics teachers engaged in sustained professional development. Bringing together expertise from the School of Education and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the project is housed at the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE) at San Diego State University. The goal of the project is to identify and understand the evolution of elementary school mathematics teachers' changing perspectives and needs as they participate in professional development. Drawing from a pool of more than 500 elementary school teachers, the sample includes 120 elementary school mathematics teachers engaged in sustained professional development for different lengths of time. Four teacher cohorts of 30 teachers each are represented in the study as initial participants, advancing participants, teacher leaders and preservice. Initial participants are in the beginning stage of sustained professional development. Advancing participants have completed at least two years, and teacher leaders at least four years of sustained professional development. The preservice cohort provides a critical anchor for the beginning teachers' evolutionary trajectory and insights into groups at later trajectory points. Three diverse school districts in San Diego County participate in the study. The study investigates the central research question of what are the similarities and differences among elementary school teachers at three points during sustained professional development in terms of their knowledge, beliefs and practices. Project participants have been involved in Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI), an NSF-funded research and professional development effort focused on addressing children's mathematics thinking. The study employs a cross-sectional design to investigate teacher change and growth on distinct points along the trajectory. Mixed methods and triangulation of data will be utilized to analysis multiple measures of teacher growth (beliefs, knowledge and practices). The research instrumentation will involve belief surveys, content assessments, observation protocols for professional development and classroom instruction and noticing instruments to assess teacher interpretation of classroom interactions. Eight case studies provide in-depth analyses of teachers' knowledge, beliefs and practices at four distinct points of the teacher professional continuum within the context of sustained professional development: prospective teachers, initial participants, advancing participants and teacher leaders. Additionally, a longitudinal analysis of eight cases provides important information about the changing needs of teachers as they evolve from initial participants to advancing participants. Secondary to the central research question is a formative assessment on the relevance and application of the research findings to the field, specifically the community of professional development providers. The formative assessment will examine the usefulness of research findings to disparate models of professional development for both prospective and practicing teachers. Professional development facilitators and providers will participate as co-researchers in the formative assessment component and will participate in dissemination of the research findings.