Collaborative Research: Mathematics Immersion for Secondary Teachers at Scale

当前的数学改革对教师提出了新的要求，改变了他们教授数学的重点，把重点放在做数学意味着什么，而不仅仅是学习其他人工作的结果和事实和方法。教师需要强有力的专业发展来满足这些新的需求。该项目的目标将是通过创建和测试混合在线课程的设计原则，向外地提供一种成本效益高的模式，以便以前所未有的方式密集开展以内容为基础的专业发展，除非是通过昂贵的面对面模式。团队成员将为实习中学教师(7-12年级)设计、实施和研究数学专业发展沉浸体验的效果。该项目将为全国56个地点的300多名教师提供数学沉浸体验。在两年的课程中，14名教师每人将与四个地理位置不同的4-7名教师小组合作，让他们作为学习者参与数学学习，并促进将这种经历与他们的教学和专业工作联系起来的对话。该项目将为该领域提供以现代实践为基础的大规模数学沉浸的具体模式。该模式有可能扩大对身临其境的专业发展体验的参与，为更多的教师提供机会，并扩大受影响的学校背景的多样性。探索研究K-12计划(DRK-12)旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具(RMT)，显著提高K-12学龄前学生和教师在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)方面的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，这些研究和开发工作为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验证明。研究问题将调查课程实施的保真度和立法方面的差异。RQ1。教师能在多大程度上逼真地实施混合课程设计，并为参与教师创造沉浸在数学中的体验？RQ2.教师在课程设置上有哪些变化？如何解释立法上的差异，以及这些差异与教师在课程中的经验有何关系？RQ3。专业发展对教师的(A)数学思维习惯，(B)对数学和数学教学的本质的信念，以及(C)对其专业数学社区的投入有什么影响？RQ4。专业发展对教师的教学实践，特别是对教师为学生提供的探究性数学学习体验的类型有何影响？该项目将使用既定的测量方法来研究这些经验对教师的教学知识、数学思维习惯、对数学的信念、参与专业社区和教学实践的影响。前两个研究问题将通过对会议制定日志、课程录像会议和访谈的定性数据分析来回答。后两个研究问题将通过重复测量分析来解决，在项目过程中对所有教师进行三次评估。对于研究性问题3，结果测量将是教师知识、数学准备和信念测量的总分和量表分数。此外，访谈数据的定性分析将探索教师敬业度的频率和性质随时间的变化趋势。对于研究问题4，结果衡量标准将是教学实践，并对观察和访谈进行定性分析。

Current reforms in mathematics place new demands on teachers, changing the focus of the mathematics they teach focusing on what it means to do mathematics, not just learn facts and methods that are the results of the work of others. Teachers need strong professional development to meet these new demands. The goal of this project will be to provide the field with a cost-effective model for intense content-based professional development in ways that have not been possible before, except through costly face-to-face models, by creating and testing design principles for blended online courses. Team members will design, implement, and research the effects of a professional development immersion experience in mathematics for practicing secondary teachers (grades 7-12). The project will provide mathematics immersion experience to over 300 teachers at 56 sites across the country. Over the course of two years, each of 14 instructors will work with four geographically separated groups of 4-7 teachers, engaging them in mathematics as learners and facilitating conversations that connect the experience to their teaching and professional work. The project will provide the field a concrete model for modern practice-based mathematics immersion, conducted at scale. The model has the potential to broaden participation in immersive professional development experiences, offering opportunities to greater numbers of teachers and expanding the diversity of school contexts affected. The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools (RMTs). Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.The research questions will investigate fidelity of course implementation and differences in enactment. RQ1. How well can instructors enact the blended course design with fidelity and create immersion experiences in mathematics for participating teachers? RQ2.What variations exist among instructors' enactment of the courses? What explains differences in enactment, and how do they relate to teachers' experiences in the courses? RQ3. What is the impact of the professional development on teachers' (a) mathematical habits of mind, (b) beliefs about the nature of mathematics and mathematics teaching, and (c) engagement in their professional mathematics community? RQ4. What is the impact of the professional development on teachers' instructional practices, particularly on the types of investigative mathematics learning experiences that teachers provide for students? The project will use established measures to research the effects of these experiences on teachers' content knowledge, mathematical habits of mind, beliefs about mathematics, involvement in a professional community, and teaching practices. The first two research questions will be answered through qualitative data analysis of session enactment logs, video-recorded course sessions, and interviews. The second two research questions will be addressed through repeated measures analysis, with all teachers assessed three times over the course of the project. For research question 3, the outcome measures will be total and scale scores of the measures of teachers' knowledge, preparedness to teach mathematics, and beliefs. Additionally, qualitative analysis of interview data will explore trends in the frequency and nature of teachers' engagement over time. For research question 4, the outcome measures will be teaching practices with qualitative analysis of observations and interviews.