An official website of the United States government
Teachers’ professional learning often includes online components. This study examined how a case of 37 teachers utilized a specific online asynchronous professional learning platform designed to support teachers’ growth in learning to teach statistics and data science in secondary schools in the United States. The platform’s features and learning materials were designed based on effective online learning designs, supports for self-guided learning, and research on the teaching and learning of statistics and data science. We paid particular attention to the features we designed into the platform to support self-regulation and personalizing the experiences to meet their preferred learning goals such as allowing for free choice of learning materials, flexibility of when and how long to engage, providing personal recommendations based on user input, internal systems to track progress, and generating certificates of completion. In this study, we used a case study with both quantitative and qualitative data to examine whether teachers had gains in meeting learning goals related to their development in teaching statistics and data science, had sustained engagement, and found the features for personalization supportive for their learning. Results showed, overall, positive growth towards meeting learning goals and making small changes towards improved classroom practice. Most teachers were generally engaged in sustained ways across the study period, though we found six different patterns of completion that highlight ways in which teachers’ goal-directed and self-regulated learning occurred within the busy schedules of educators. Several personalized features, especially the recommendations and tracking system, were highly utilized and perceived as supportive of teachers’ learning.
more »
« less
Teachers' Attention to and Flexibility with Referent Units
In this study, we explored teachers’ attention to and flexibility with referent units as well as how teachers’ understanding of referent units is related to their performance on other fraction concepts and their professional background. By using data collected from 246 U.S. mathematics teachers in Grades 3–7 where fractions are taught, we found that teachers’ attention to and flexibility with referent units were moderately related. Whereas some teachers’ professional background variables could explain their flexibility with referent units, none of the variables was linked to their attention to referent units. Furthermore, both teachers’ attention to and flexibility with referent units seemed to be associated with their performance on other fraction concepts.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1751309
- PAR ID:
- 10216560
- Editor(s):
- A.I. Sacristán, J.C. Cortés-Zavala
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Mathematics Education Across Cultures: Proceedings of the 42nd Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Problem. With many teachers in the United States just starting to learn how to teach computer science (CS), many do not have others nearby with CS teaching experience to provide support on CS practices and concepts. To address this gap, we piloted a one-year remote coaching program designed to provide that missing individualized support to teachers. Research Question. Our research question for this project was: How does teachers’ ability to apply CS practices and knowledge of CS concepts change after the coaching process? Methodology. Our mixed-methods study leveraged three primary forms of data from teachers who were coached (coachees) and teachers providing coaching (coaches): pre- and post-surveys, coaching logs, and self-reflection checklists. Findings. CS coachees’ reported CS knowledge and skills and their ability to apply CS practices related to Standard 1 were significantly higher after the coaching intervention. Implications. As more teachers continue to learn how to teach CS and hone their skills and practices, engaging these teachers in coaching can be powerful in improving their student’s learning. Professional development providers and regional education agencies (districts and schools) could leverage the processes formed through this intervention (which is based on professional development practices with solid evidence for positive impacts) to provide similar coaching to teachers just learning how to teach CS.more » « less
-
Background and Context: Professional development (PD) programs for K-12 computer science teachers use surveys to measure teachers’ knowledge and attitudes while recognizing daily sentiment and emotion changes can be crucial for providing timely teacher support. Objective: We investigate approaches to compute sentiment and emotion scores automatically and identify associations between the scores and teachers’ performance. Method: We compute the scores from teachers’ assignments using a machine-assisted tool and measure score changes with standard deviation and linear regression slopes. Further, we compare the scores to teachers’ performance and post-PD qualitative survey results. Findings: We find significant associations between teachers’ sentiment and emotion scores and their performance across demographics. Additionally, we find significant associations that are not captured by post-PD qualitative surveys. Implications: The sentiment and emotion scores can viably reflect teachers’ performance and enrich our understanding of teachers’ learning behaviors. Further, the sentiment and emotion scores can complement conventional surveys with additional insights related to teachers’ learning performance.more » « less
-
We describe a professional development model that supports teachers to integrate computational thinking (CT) and computer science principles into middle school science and STEM classes. The model includes the collaborative design (co-design) (Voogt et al., 2015) of storylines or curricular units aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) that utilize programmable sensors such as those contained on the micro:bit. Teachers spend several workshops co-designing CT-integrated storylines and preparing to implement them with their own students. As part of this process, teachers develop or modify curricular materials to ensure a focus on coherent, student driven instruction through the investigation of scientific phenomena that are relevant to the students and utilize sensor technology. Teachers implement the storylines and meet to collaboratively reflect on their instructional practices as well as their students’ learning. Throughout this cyclical, multi-year process, teachers develop expertise in CT-integrated science instruction as they plan for and use instructional practices that align with three dimension science teaching and foreground computational thinking. Throughout the professional learning process, teachers alternate between wearing their “student hats” and their “teacher hats”, in order to maintain both a student and teacher perspective as they co-design and reflect on their implementation of CT-integrated units. This paper illustrates two teachers’ experiences of the professional development process over a two-year period, including their learning, planning, implementation, and reflection on two co-designed units.more » « less
-
With the increased attention on integrating computer science concepts into K-12 curricula, there has been a growing investment into professional development opportunities that prepare teachers to teach computer science principles. Yet, little research exists on design features of professional development that help teachers gain the computer science content, skills and teaching pedagogy that ultimately make an impact on student learning and participation in the classroom. In this work we present a professional development model for helping K-12 teachers integrate computer science principles across the curriculum in a variety of content areas. We subsequently investigate the ways in which the design features of the model promoted teacher learning of computer science content and pedagogy.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.51272/pmena.42.2020
