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Eric.ed.gov – One Instructor’s Quest for a Collaborative Professional Culture

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: With a B.S. in math but no prior math education training, the author’s first job as a math teacher was at an alternative charter school with a holistic mission. The author struggled tremendously and no doubt left numerous opponents to math reform in his wake. Fortunately, he attributed his ineffectiveness to his lack of experience and skill as a facilitator and curriculum writer, not to a flaw in the vision. Though he has no way of knowing, he has since wondered what percentage of new educators in similar situations would draw a different conclusion, something like, “Math is different from other subjects. It can’t be learned collaboratively. You just have to memorize.” This experience motivated him to understand why and how math teachers can become effective in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – EdTrAc Teacher Education Program: First-Year Implementation Evaluation (2005-2006)

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Educational Training Academy (EdTrAc) is an NSF-funded project of Normandale Community College to increase the number, diversity, and skills of students preparing to be elementary and middle school teachers with a specialty in math and science. Overall, this evaluation indicates that the EdTrAc implementation is on track after its first year (2005-2006). Face-to-face interviews with project leaders and advisors as well as the surveying of students indicate the following as the key accomplishments this year: (1) Improving existing courses and adding new ones in education, math, and science; (2) A strong Teachers of Tomorrow (TOT) club that is instrumental in successful implementation of events and activities such as the Future Teachers Conference; and (3) Improvements in student tracking through the implementation of a new software system… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Long-Term Effects of Teacher Performance Pay: Experimental Evidence from India

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: While the idea of teacher performance-pay is increasingly making its way into policy, the evidence on the effectiveness of such programs is both limited and mixed. The central questions in the literature on teacher performance pay to date have been whether teacher performance pay based on test scores can improve student achievement, and whether there are negative consequences of teacher incentives based on student test scores? The literature on both of these questions highlight the importance of not just evaluating teacher incentive programs that are designed by administrators, but of using economic theory to design systems of teacher performance pay that are likely to induce higher effort from teachers towards improving human capital and less likely to be susceptible to gaming. Also, while there is a growing… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Algebraic Thinking in Adult Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In adult education, algebraic thinking can be a sense-making tool that introduces coherence among mathematical concepts for those who previously have had trouble learning math. Further, a modeling approach to algebra connects mathematics and the real world, demonstrating the usefulness of math to those who have seen it as just an academic exercise. This paper recommends two significant and necessary changes in the concept of algebra and the ways the authors approach it in education: a shift from thinking of algebra as one course to thinking of it as a content strand integrated into arithmetic instruction and a shift from thinking of algebra as merely manipulation skills to thinking of it as a means of representing and analyzing real situations. This fresh look at algebra and mathematics… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Experimental Methods and Results in a Study of PBS TeacherLine Math Courses

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) sought to build on the strengths of high quality professional development through an online venture funded under the U.S. Department of Education’s Ready To Teach (RTT) program. PBS TeacherLine was designed to provide high-quality, facilitated online professional development for K-12 teachers nationwide. Through PBS TeacherLine, more than 20,000 educators have participated in 90 online, facilitated courses in reading, mathematics, science, instructional strategies, instructional technology, and curriculum mapping. To what extent has PBS TeacherLine been successful in creating an online model of teacher professional development that gets to the heart of education needs–impacting teacher beliefs, classroom instruction, and student learning? This paper presents the results from one component of the comprehensive external evaluation of PBS TeacherLine: an experimental study that unfolded in the… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – After-School Math. NCEE Evaluation Brief 2009-4057

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: After-school programs receive federal support through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers. A primary purpose of the program is to provide opportunities for academic enrichment to help students meet state and local standards in core content areas. This brief presents findings for the first of two years of program operations (school year 2005-06) on a study for math. Harcourt School Publishers was selected through a competitive process to adapt its school-day materials for use in the after-school setting. “Mathletics” was developed to be engaging for students, tied to academic standards, appropriate for students from diverse economic and social backgrounds, and fairly easy for teachers to use with a small amount of preparation time. The program resulted in 49 more hours of math instruction during the school year… Continue Reading