Engaging Teachers in Integrating Human-Centered Design for Geometry Problem-based Instruction

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Geometry instruction offers unique opportunities for students to apply design thinking to authentic problems. This project supports teachers in designing and implementing lessons using a human-centered design (HCD) approach. Geometry teachers will participate in lesson study for two years to plan problem-based geometry lessons and to observe student thinking during those lessons. The project investigates how teachers learn about and apply a human-centered framework for teaching geometry. It will be implemented with teachers who teach in high-need schools that serve many students from underrepresented groups. Findings will support innovation development with teachers for integrating human-centered design in math instruction. Students will benefit from learning about and applying human-centered design processes to solve problems addressing issues in their communities. The project team will produce cases documenting the development and implementation of the lessons, along with a podcast of stories drawn from the lessons. Lessons and podcasts will be available through the University of Illinois Siebel Center for Design's website.The project investigates whether and how the innovation supports teachers in integrating human-centered design in problem-based geometry lessons. The research questions are: (1) How do teachers design and implement lessons using the HCD framework through lesson study? (2) What changes in teacher noticing, teacher professional community, and teaching-learning resources result from designing and implementing the lessons through lesson study? (3) How does lesson study support teachers in designing and implementing the lessons? To answer the first question, the team will apply human-centered design to understand the processes involved in crafting and teaching the lessons. To answer the second question, the team will examine changes from teachers' lesson study participation, including changes in teacher noticing of student thinking and in the development of a professional community. With the third research question, the team will investigate challenges that result from adapting lesson study phases to integrate a human-centered design approach. Research methods include case study methodologies and the examination of videos from teachers' lesson study discussions to identify teacher noticing and teacher learning opportunities. Findings will contribute to an understanding of how teacher educators and others who work with teachers can engage in applying human-centered design to math instruction. The team seeks to identify features about the underlying lesson study structure that can support teachers in planning and implementing human-centered design geometry lessons. Examination outcomes will be useful in the future for expanding this work with other teachers who seek to connect human-centered design and math through lesson study.The Discovery Research preK-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. 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.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.