Title: Providers of professional development for novice college mathematics instructors: Perspectives and values about teaching and learning
Those who lead the preparation and assessment of novice college mathematics instructors for teaching (Providers) do their work in many ways (e.g., course coordination, seminars,workshops). Using data from a large national survey, this study examined reporting among 95 Providers about the structures of their departments, their goals for the professional development work they do, and their relative valuation among goals. Respondents completed a sorting and ranking activity about professional development goals and answered an open-ended question describing their sorting decisions. Qualitative coding identified six main themes for the respondents’ 285 descriptions. Quantitative analysis used the rankings of goals within respondents’ sorting categories to examine how Providers describe and value professional development goals related to professional community, classroom and department culture, and instructor response to students within their classrooms. more »« less
Yee, S P; Wang, J; Hauk, S; Lopez_Gonzalez, T
(, Proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education)
Cook, S; Katz, B; Moore-Russo, D
(Ed.)
Teaching professional development (TPD) in collegiate mathematics has expanded over the last few decades. Providers of TPD, people who organize and facilitate professional learning about teaching, are at the center of this growth. Yet, little is known about who Providers are and what they do. To better understand the national landscape of Providers of TPD within university mathematics departments, this report shares data from a national survey where respondents were Providers. The focus here is on findings from survey questions asking about characteristics of Providers and the “providees” with whom they work, along with formats, topics, and activities used in TPD. Results suggest that Providers value active, learner-centered instructional methods promoted by research and policy. However, in the TPD itself, formats, topics, and activities commonly used by Providers may preach but not regularly practice activity-based methods.
Hauk, S; Speer, N
(, Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education)
Cook, S; Katz, B; Moore-Russo, D
(Ed.)
In this poster we illustrate how stewardship, a particular kind of leadership, in the complex system of mathematics instructional development requires decentering and interconnecting. This theory development for professional growth of faculty agents for change expands on earlier work describing how instructional practices used by providers of teaching-focused professional development in seminars about teaching (for graduate students) could be beneficial both for learning high-powered approaches to teaching of undergraduate mathematics and for building a foundation for future change-agent work. Here we move one level up and present an analogous argument about practices for stewards who are teaching about teaching about teaching. The poster illustrates the multilevel system with an expanded model that incorporates learning objectives for provider professional learning and the instructional practices of such professional learning in ways that showcase (and teach about) decentering and interconnecting.
Abstract Introduction In Rwanda, only 20% of sexually active unmarried young women use family planning as compared to 64% of married women. Adolescence is an important time of growth and development that often includes the initiation of sexual activity. Sexually active adolescents need support in accessing contraceptive services to prevent negative health outcomes. In sub-Saharan Africa, the adolescent population represents a large share of the total population and that proportion is predicted to expand over time. Adolescent contraceptive needs have largely been unmet, and with growing numbers, there is increased potential for negative health sequelae. Due to the low use of contraception by adolescents in Rwanda, and the growing population of adolescents, this study aims to explore the perspectives of family planning providers and adult modern contraceptive users on adolescent contraceptive use. Inclusion of adult community members in the study is a unique contribution, as research on adolescent contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa relies primarily on perspectives from adolescents and family planning providers. Methods This qualitative study in 2018 utilized 32 in-depth interviews with modern contraceptive users and eight focus group discussions with family planning providers. Respondents were from Musanze and Nyamasheke districts in Rwanda, the districts with the highest and lowest modern contraceptive use among married women, respectively. Coding was conducted in Atlas.ti. Results Stigma regarding premarital sex results in barriers to adolescent access to contraceptive services. Family planning providers do provide services to adolescents; however, they often recommend secondary abstinence, offer a limited method selection, and accentuate risks associated with sexual activity and contraceptive use. Providers support adolescent clients by emphasizing the need for privacy, confidentiality, and expedient services, particularly through youth corners, which are spaces within health facilities designed to meet youth needs specifically. Modern contraceptive-using adult female community members advocate for youth access to contraception, however mothers have mixed comfort discussing sexual health with their own youth. Conclusion To destigmatize premarital sexual activity, government efforts to initiate communication about this topic must occur at national and community levels with the goal of continued conversation within the family. The government should also train family planning providers and all health personnel interacting with youth on adolescent-friendly health services. Dialogue between community members and family planning providers about adolescent access to contraceptive services could also reduce barriers for adolescents due to community members’ generally supportive views on adolescent contraceptive use. Efforts to engage adolescent caregivers in how to talk to youth about sex could also contribute to expanded use.
McGill, Monica M; Zarch, Rebecca; Sexton, Stacey; Smith, Julie M.; Ong, Christine; Rasberry, Melissa; Hollis, Shelly
(, Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research)
Teacher professional development (PD) is a key factor in enabling teachers to develop mindsets and skills that positively impact students. It is also a key step in building capacity for computer science (CS) education in K-12 schools. Successful CS PD meets primary learning goals and enable teachers to grow their self-efficacy, asset and equity mindset, and interest in teaching CS. As part of a larger study, we conducted a secondary analysis of CS PD evaluation instruments (). We found that instruments across providers were highly dissimilar with limited data collected for measures related to teacher learning, which has implications for future K-12 CS education. Likewise, the instruments were limited in being connected to student learning and academic growth. As a way to enable PD providers to construct measures that align with known impacting factors, we offer recommendations for collecting demographic data and measuring program satisfaction, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, growth and equity mindset, and self-efficacy. We also highlight questions for PD providers to consider when constructing their evaluation, including reflecting community values, the goals of the PD, and how the data collected will be used to continually improve CS programs.
Project GOALS (Greater Opportunities to Advance Lifelong Success), an NSF Advanced Technological Education targeted research project, brought together researchers and community college educators from 2020 through 2024 to co-develop, test, package, and distribute resources for developing technicians' professional skills. Through this work, the team discovered the barriers that hinder both instructors and students from connecting around professional skills development. To address these barriers, the Project GOALS team developed an instructional framework grounded in research that integrates focused low-stakes activities into classes as students work toward their technical certificates. Based on our research, we believe Project GOALS provides ways for students to students' career readiness. In this research brief, the team describes how the Project GOALS co-development collaboration revealed the supports that technical instructors need to build students' professional awareness and reflection habits. Through qualitative analysis, Project GOALS researchers discovered the challenges that prevent many instructors from sharing their honest assessments of students' professional skills. The brief describes findings and recommends ways that community colleges can provide the assistance and resources that instructors need to develop students' professional skills.
Yee, S. P., Wang, J., Hauk, S., and LopezGonzalez, T. Providers of professional development for novice college mathematics instructors: Perspectives and values about teaching and learning. Retrieved from https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10451204. Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education 25.
Yee, S. P., Wang, J., Hauk, S., & LopezGonzalez, T. Providers of professional development for novice college mathematics instructors: Perspectives and values about teaching and learning. Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education, 25 (). Retrieved from https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10451204.
Yee, S. P., Wang, J., Hauk, S., and LopezGonzalez, T.
"Providers of professional development for novice college mathematics instructors: Perspectives and values about teaching and learning". Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education 25 (). Country unknown/Code not available. https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10451204.
@article{osti_10451204,
place = {Country unknown/Code not available},
title = {Providers of professional development for novice college mathematics instructors: Perspectives and values about teaching and learning},
url = {https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10451204},
abstractNote = {Those who lead the preparation and assessment of novice college mathematics instructors for teaching (Providers) do their work in many ways (e.g., course coordination, seminars,workshops). Using data from a large national survey, this study examined reporting among 95 Providers about the structures of their departments, their goals for the professional development work they do, and their relative valuation among goals. Respondents completed a sorting and ranking activity about professional development goals and answered an open-ended question describing their sorting decisions. Qualitative coding identified six main themes for the respondents’ 285 descriptions. Quantitative analysis used the rankings of goals within respondents’ sorting categories to examine how Providers describe and value professional development goals related to professional community, classroom and department culture, and instructor response to students within their classrooms.},
journal = {Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education},
volume = {25},
author = {Yee, S. P. and Wang, J. and Hauk, S. and LopezGonzalez, T.},
editor = {Cook, S and Katz, B. and Moore-Russo, D.}
}
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