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Eric.ed.gov – Increasing Expertise in Earth Science Education through Master’s Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The processes of developing and the results of testing a master’s degree program designed to increase the number and quality of secondary-level earth science teachers are described in this paper. The master’s program is intended to serve practicing secondary-level science and math teachers who lack subject-area endorsement in earth science. There is need for programs such as this because there is a nationwide shortage of qualified earth science teachers. By targeting teachers who are already trained and certified in science or math, the program can focus solely on earth science content and pedagogical content knowledge. The program can be completed in 2 y via online academic-year instruction and on-campus or field-based training during summers. Completion of the master’s program satisfies teachers’ need for ongoing professional development. A… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Not So Elementary: Primary School Teacher Quality in Top-Performing Systems

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Concerns about inadequate development of subject expertise for American elementary school teachers have been well documented. There are many exceptions to this narrative, and there are many exemplary U.S. teacher preparation programs. However, it is clear that, overall, the preparation of elementary teachers in the United States in key subject areas has been inadequate. So, what are systems that have high-performing learning outcomes in key subjects doing to ensure quality teaching in math, science and literacy? This report analyses whether and how high-performing systems (specifically those in jurisdictions of Japan, Finland, Hong Kong, and Shanghai) have supported the subject expertise of their elementary school teachers. The findings highlight how different parts of these systems constantly reinforce the development of deep subject expertise in their elementary teachers. For… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Teachers’ Perceptions of Teacher Supervision and Evaluation: A Reflection of School Improvement Practices in the Age of Reform

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study examined how principals in eight high-functioning elementary schools provide teacher supervision and evaluation to promote high levels of student achievement. Perceptions of teachers were measured to provide an understanding of which specific principal behaviors translated into better instructional practices within the selected schools. Schools were chosen based on their performance on both state communication arts and math standardized assessments, which were in the top 10% of all elementary schools in the state. Data were collected from 74 teachers using an online survey tool to assess perceptions about principals’ supervision within pre-observation and post-observation conferences. Quantitative analyses, part of a larger inquiry previously analyzed by the authors, revealed that 64% percent of the variability in principals’ pre-conference supervisory effectiveness was accounted for by discussing how students… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Teacher Incentive Fund STEM Grant in Houston ISD: A Descriptive Overview. Research Educational Program Report

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Since established by an Appropriations Act in 2006, the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) competitive grant program in the U.S. Department of Education has supported human capital strategies “to ensure that students attending high-poverty schools have better access to effective teachers and principals, especially in hard-to-staff subject areas” such as science and math. Responding to the national agenda to improve STEM education, in 2012, the fourth cohort of the Teacher Incentive Fund federal grant competition (TIF4) included special consideration for projects designed to improve STEM education by identifying, developing, and utilizing master teachers as leaders of broader improvements (OESE, 2012a). Houston Independent School District’s (HISD) approach to STEM education — described in this report — is an innovative policy response to the national challenges of preparing students for… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Examining the Impact of a Framework to Support Prospective Secondary Teachers’ Transition from ‘Doer’ to ‘Teacher’ of Mathematics

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: A transition from “doer” to “teacher” for prospective teachers requires them to reorient from thinking about how they do mathematics to engaging with students and their work, understanding student representations, and planning instruction accordingly. To scaffold a transition, we developed a five-step mathematics as teacher heuristic (MATH) model. The study investigated the impact of MATH on the development of teacher candidates’ mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and their pedagogical knowledge. Twenty-two preservice secondary mathematics teachers enrolled in a methods course participated in the study. Findings of the study showed that teacher candidates’ MKT was engaged as a result of analysis of the student work. While some teacher candidates based subsequent instructional planning work on what they noticed in the student work, others had gaps between what they… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Much More than It’s Cooked-up to Be: Reflections on Doing Math and Teachers’ Professional Learning

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The author argues that students’ persistent struggles with mathematics suggest a new form of professional development for teachers is needed. The author draws on a model of professional learning in literacy education to propose an analogous model for mathematics education: teachers of mathematics need to produce mathematical ideas, themselves, in order to better support their students in becoming mathematical thinkers. It is not enough to focus singularly on developing teachers’ content understanding, however, because mathematical ideas are embedded within their representational forms; therefore, any content-related professional development must also include pedagogical discussions. The author concludes by describing a research-based, high-quality professional development community–the Philadelphia Area Math Teachers’ Circle (PAMTC)–in which authentic mathematical inquiry and pedagogical analysis occur hand-in-hand. Link til kilde