2013 Conference Proceedings - University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Our collaboration model was formed using a combination of existing models: the Yale/NewHaven National Teacher Institute Model and the Focus on Mathematics (BostonUniversity/Educational Development Center’s National Science Foundation’s MSP). Twopremises were followed from these models: all partners involved had equal say in the directionof the professional development and that there would be core involvement of mathematicians inthe partnership. The high school teachers and university faculty used the hybrid model to designthe professional development opportunities that were cogenerated. This co-planning of thedirection of the professional development was enacted in face-to-face meetings each week of theschool year as well as 2 weeks in late summer and 2 days after each school year was completed.Ideas from the project staff were presented and specific teacher problems and issues werepresented by the participants. Discussions took place to determine the most needed professionaldevelopment.MethodologyParticipantsAll eleven mathematics faculty and 4 intervention specialists were part of this study. All ofthe teachers have the appropriate license for their teaching assignments. The teachers ranged inexperience from 2 years to 25 years. All signed an agreement to participate in the grant and inreturn the grant provide the professional development, $500 in teaching materials for theirclassrooms, and stipends when PD occurred outside their regular teaching contracts.The treatment/professional developmentEach year the teachers had approximately 100 hours of professional development focused atthe goals mentioned above. This occurred during summers (60 hours), each week prior toclasses starting (20 hours), and once a month (20 hours) during an early release time.During the summers teachers were engaged in doing mathematics problems. This is whereour mathematicians helped to lead these discussions about the problems, various methods ofthinking about the problems, reasoning for solutions, and connections to other areas ofmathematics and the common core state standards. During this time, one goal was to buildconfidence and community among all participants. We collected samples of the rich problemsteachers worked and videotaped these experiences. We also surveyed the teachers on theirbeliefs about the nature of mathematics and the teaching and learning of mathematics.Proceedings of the 40 th Annual Meeting of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning 2013 118