2013 Conference Proceedings - University of Nevada, Las Vegas

I had never been brave enough to try this before in my classes because I am definitelynot the next ‘American Idol.’ My research showed a ten percent increase on test scoreson lessons accompanied by a math song. I found this information valuable and plan tointegrate more music in the future. I also plan to use more action research in my classesto answer questions I have.”Interviews conducted with Mrs. A at the end of the project showed that shedifferentiates her teaching style dependent upon the content of the lesson.“My stategies often depend on the concept. There are some that I will explain throughdirect instruction and some I prefer for the students to explore and find on their ownthrough student centered discovery learning. I couldn’t find a good hands-on activity tomodel division of fraction so I used direct instruction with the smartboard and lotsquestions. For our circumference of a circle lesson, the lesson was student centered andthe discovered the relationship of the diameter and pi through their own exploration.”She stated that “I ask ‘why’ often. It is easier to give the correct answer than it is to saywhy it is correct. A deeper understanding of the concept is necessary rather than justgoing through the algorithms and mindlessly following steps. ‘What if” is also a goodstart of a higher level thinking question. I demand participation in classroomdiscussions and everyone contributes. I often have problems where student must justifytheir answer using a written description that they then share with the class. We also usea variety of representations from graphs and graphic organizers to color tiles andcentimeter cubes. I love to use as many hands-on activities as possible because I cantell the students get so much more out of it!”State assessment data showed that over 90% of Mrs. A’s students met or exceeded thestandards set by state, a level she had not previously reached. Almost one-third of herstudents were at the commended level. Her students’ results were significantly different fromthose of the rest of the school.This study examined the effects of long term professional development on teacherself-efficacy and classroom practice. Through a study of Mrs. A, we found that she felt moreconfident in her abilities to manage her classroom and facilitate student learning as a result ofthe professional development. She is using more research based instructional practices in herProceedings of the 40 th Annual Meeting of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning 2013 114