Does It Work? Building Methods for Understanding Effects of Professional Development

该项目旨在严格调查有关专业发展对教师学习、课堂实践和学生成绩的影响的挑战性问题。技术咨询小组提供强大的方法支持，并有能力处理数学教育、教师专业发展和问题解决方面的问题。其目的是开发和改进对这些变量之间的关系进行实证检验的方法。研究问题包括：教师从InterMath经验中学到了什么；如果教师从InterMath中学到了东西，他们的教学实践是否因此发生了变化；如果教师的实践发生了变化，学生的成绩是否有可衡量的变化。PIS认为这项研究为数学学习者提供了教育机会。通过研究从专业发展到学生学习的整个过程中的联系，私人关系主管打算采取措施“获得洞察力，为与这些联系相关的实践提供信息。本研究的重点是一门(六门)50学时的7-8年级数学数字概念课程，用于教师专业发展，并比较治疗教师和控制组教师在CKT-M(数学教学内容知识)评估项目上基于相似反应模式的匹配。通过国家CRCT(标准参考能力测试)和NAEP发布的项目评估学生毕业前的成绩。基于录像带的岗前教师观察。虽然InterMath显然是成功的，但还没有对该程序进行独立研究，以前的工作主要是基于教师的自我报告。该项目提供了一个研究机会，可能会阐明所研究的联系。这不是对InterMath的评估，而是使用该程序来研究关键变量之间的关系，并可能有助于研究这些关系。这项研究旨在阐明在有理由相信公认的实践观点存在的背景下，专业发展、教师学习、教师实践和学生成就等关键全球变量之间的联系。

The project intends to rigorously investigate challenging questions about the effects of professional development on teacher learning, classroom practice and student achievement. A technical advisory panel provides strong methodological support, and capacity for dealing with issues in mathematics education, teacher professional development, and problem solving. The intent is to develop and refine methods for empirically examining the relationships among these variables. Research questions include: what do the teachers learn from InterMath experiences; if the teachers learn from InterMath, do their instructional practices change as a result; and if the teachers' practices change, are there measurable changes in students' achievement. PIs see the study as contributing to educational opportunities for mathematics learners. By studying links along the continuum from professional development to student learning PIs intend to take steps toward" gaining insights to inform practice relevant to these connections. The focus of the study is on one (out of six ) 50-hour grades 7-8 mathematics number concepts course for teacher professional development and comparing treatment teachers to control groups with matching based on similar response patterns across items on an assessment of CKT-M (Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics). Pre-post student achievement assessed on state CRCT (Criterion Referenced Competency Test) and NAEP released items. Pre-post teacher observation based on videotapes. While InterMath has apparently been successful no independent study of the program has been carried out and previous work is based largely on teacher self report. The program provides an opportunity for research that may illuminate the connections studied. This is not an evaluation of InterMath but use of the program to study the relationships among the key variables and perhaps contribute to how one might study the relationships. The study has is intended to illuminate connections among the key global variables of professional development, teacher learning, teacher practice, and student achievement in a context where there is reason to believe the received view of practice is in place.