Investigating the Effect of Professional Development, Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching, and Instruction on Student Outcomes

哈佛大学、密歇根大学和杨百翰大学的研究人员正在研究数学知识教学(MKT)、教学实践和学生成绩之间的关系。对MKT的研究嵌入了对数学解决方案专业发展模式有效性的研究。数学解决方案是一家广泛使用的专业发展提供商，由玛丽莲·伯恩斯创办。这项研究建立在研究小组工作的基础上，与以前的工作不同，在12所新墨西哥州阿尔伯克基市的12所学校的80名四年级和五年级教师被随机分配到治疗组或控制组。随机化发生在学校内部的年级之间。数学解决方案为治疗组的教师提供专业发展，这些教师非常关注MKT。控制组的教师接受该学区提供的典型专业发展。这包括暑期数学学院和三到六个小时的日常数学介绍，这是学校在研究中使用的教学材料。与典型的临时数学专业发展相比，数学解决方案的效果如何？数学解决方案能提高教师水平吗？MKT、他们的教学质量和/或他们的学生？结果呢？教师的不同方面怎么样？与学生成绩有关的数学知识和教学？教师MKT是通过为教学而学习数学(由PI和同事开发的工具)来衡量的，学生成绩是通过由PI在国家科学基金会的支持下最近开发的评估来衡量的。课堂观察和视频提供了有关课堂教学的数据。

Researchers at Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and Brigham Young University are conducting research on the relationship between mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT), teaching practice, and student outcomes. The study of MKT is embedded in a study of the effectiveness of the Math Solutions professional development model. Math Solutions is a widely used professional development provider started by Marilyn Burns. The study builds on work of the research team and differs from earlier work in that 80 fourth and fifth grade teachers in twelve Albuquerque, NM schools are randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the control group. Randomization occurs within grades within schools. Math Solutions provides teachers in the treatment group professional development that has a strong focus on MKT. Teachers in the control group receive the typical professional development offered by the district. This consists of a combination of summer mathematics institutes and three-to-six hour introductions to Everyday Mathematics, the instructional materials used by the schools in the study.The research questions are as follows. How effective is Math Solutions as compared to typical ad-hoc mathematics professional development? Does Math Solutions improve teachers? MKT, the quality of their instruction, and/or their students? outcomes? How are different aspects of teachers? mathematical knowledge and instruction related to student achievement? Teacher MKT is measured by Learning Mathematics for Teaching (instruments developed by the PI and colleagues) and student achievement is measured by assessments developed recently by the PI with NSF support. Classroom observations and video provide data on classroom instruction.