Collaborative Research: Leveraging Simulations in Preservice Preparation to Improve Mathematics Teaching for Students with Disabilities

培养普通教育教师以支持残疾学生的数学学习至关重要，因为残疾学生在数学成绩较低的职级中所占比例过高。该项目旨在通过开发和使用混合现实模拟，在小学数学教师培训的背景下解决这一需求。这些模拟对职前教师来说是一个低风险的机会，可以实践基于研究的教学策略来支持数学学习，并获得对他们实践的反馈。使用模拟的学习单元将专注于两个高杠杆的实践：教师在问题解决过程中建立自我监控和反思策略的模型，以及使用策略指导来教会学生支持问题解决。这些高杠杆的教学实践将支持教师让所有学生，包括残疾学生，参与到概念复杂的数学中，在这些数学中，学生被视为理性创造者，并被赋予以具有文化意义的方式进行数学计算的能力。该项目的工作包括三个主要目标。第一个目标是围绕数学教育界和特殊教育界对高杠杆做法的共同定义达成共识。为了实现这一目标，该项目将召集一系列与数学教育和特殊教育专家建立共识的小组，以制定两个有针对性的高杠杆做法的共同定义。这项工作将包括参与当前的研究、小组讨论和制作具有实践规范的文件。第二个目标是开发基于混合现实模拟的小学数学方法课程的学习单元。这些模拟将允许教师候选人与模拟学生进行高杠杆练习，并接受研究团队对其练习的指导。这项工作的影响将通过对实施这些单位的教师教育工作者的访谈以及实施中的观察和人工制品的分析来评估。第三个目标是通过小规模的随机对照试验来评估模拟对教师候选人的实践和信念的有效性。教师候选人将被随机分配到针对实践并利用模拟的条件，以及专注于备课、学生评估和高杠杆实践的小组讨论的照常经营条件。这项工作的影响将通过对基线和离职模拟的分析，对教授残疾学生的教师自我效能的测量，以及对临床安置环境下课堂教学的观察来评估。探索研究预科-12项目(DRK-12)旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具，显著提高预科-12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，为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验上的证明。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The preparation of general education teachers to support the mathematics learning of students with disabilities is critical, as students with disabilities are overrepresented in the lower ranks of mathematics achievement. This project aims to address this need in the context of elementary mathematics teacher preparation through the development and use of mixed reality simulations. These simulations represent low-stakes opportunities for preservice teachers to practice research-based instructional strategies to support mathematics learning, and to receive feedback on their practices. Learning units that use the simulations will focus on two high leverage practices: teacher modeling of self-monitoring and reflection strategies during problem solving and using strategy instruction to teach students to support problem solving. These high-leverage teaching practices will support teachers engaging all students, including students with disabilities, in conceptually sophisticated mathematics in which students are treated as sense-makers and empowered to do mathematics in culturally meaningful ways.The project work encompasses three primary aims. The first aim is to develop a consensus around shared definitions of high-leverage practices across the mathematics education and special education communities. To accomplish this goal, the project will convene a series of consensus-building panels with mathematics education and special education experts to develop shared definitions of the two targeted high leverage practices. This work will include engaging with current research, group discussion, and production of documents with specifications for the practices. The second aim is to develop learning units for elementary mathematics methods courses grounded in mixed reality simulation. These simulations will allow teacher candidates to enact the high leverage practices with simulated students and to receive coaching on their practice from the research team. The impact of this work will be assessed through the analysis of interviews with teacher educators implementing the units and observations and artifacts from the implementations. The third aim will be to assess the effectiveness of the simulations on teacher candidates’ practices and beliefs through small-scaled randomized control trials. Teacher candidates will be randomly assigned to conditions that address the practices and make use of simulations, and a business as usual condition focused on lesson planning, student assessment, and small group discussions of the high leverage practices. The impact of the work will be assessed through the analysis of baseline and exit simulations, measures of teacher self-efficacy for teaching students with disabilities, and observations of classroom teaching in their clinical placement settings.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.