Teacher Change: Is It Possible in Todays Classrooms

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Teacher ChangeIs It Possible in Todays
Classrooms?

• Mary C. Enderson
• Lauren J. Wright
• Middle Tennessee State University

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Purpose of Research

• To identify cases where reform movement practices
  are occurring in mathematics classrooms
• To document factors that influenced mathematics
  teachers to teach in a non-traditional manner

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Research Questions

• Major What factors influence a teacher to
  implement reform-based ideas into her classroom
  practices?
• Related questions
• - conceptions of T L
• - conceptions of reform movement
• - encourage/discourage new visions of teaching

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Theoretical Framework

• Adopted a framework focused on teacher actions
  and teacher beliefs conceptions (Clarke, 1997)
• - What s/he does?
• - What are her/his conceptions about T L
  mathematics?

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Framework

• Clarke (1997) studied two teachers using
  reform-based curriculum and how they operated
  in such environments.
• Our teachers were not using reform-based
  curricula, but professed they often taught using
  reform-based practices.

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Methodology

• Case study
• Focus One teacher named Ruth
• Length of study ? 1.5 years

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Teacher Reform

• What does it mean?
• How does the literature address reform?
• How does one come to know and show what the
  reform movement promotes?

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What does reform mean?

• To improve by alteration, correction of error, or
  removal of defects
• A change for the better
• A movement that attempts to institute improved
  social and political conditions.
• (American Heritage Dictionary)

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Educational Reform Movement

• Changes in society
• More focused on the learner

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Mathematics Education Reform Movement

• Different perspectives of what mathematics to
  teach how to teach it
• Role of technology

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Seven Supports That Encourage Teacher Change

• Gaining a professional role
• Ensuring staff development experiences
• Involving all teachers
• Risk taking and collaboration

• Experiencing institutional commitment
• Building community support
• Having visible outcomes
• (Tinto Masingila, 1998)

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Literature related to teacher knowledge

• Where teachers knowledge is more explicit,
  better connected, and more integrated, they will
  tend to teach the subject more dynamically,
  represent it in more varied ways, and encourage
  and respond fully to student comments and
  questions.

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Literature related to teacher knowledge

• Where their knowledge is limited, they will tend
  to depend on the text for content, de-emphasize
  interactive discourse in favor of seatwork
  assignments, and in general, portray the subject
  as a collection of static, factual knowledge.
• (Brophy, 1991)

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Conceptions and Practice

• Teachers deeply held, traditional beliefs
  influence teaching methods (Raymond, 1997)
• Change is a VERY difficult and complex process
  (Sarason, 1971)

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Participants

• 5 secondary mathematics teachers
• 4 different counties
• all were graduate students in an MST program

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Length of Study

• Initial observations Spring 00
• Focus Spring Summer 01
• Geometry unit of study was 2 weeks long (on block)

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Data Collection

• Interviews
• Observation w/field notes
• Videotaped classroom episodes
• Class documents
• Test results for the unit and for the State
  Subject matter

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Data Analysis

• Coding/Search for themes
• As themes emerged, they directed what was needed
  found out by continued questioning or
  collecting of evidence
• Used final group of themes to support/make sense
  of results

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Ruths Background

• Educational
• Own mathematics education was very traditional
• No undergraduate math. Education classes
• Professional
• Been teaching for 17 years
• Extremely diverse teaching experiences

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Ruths Community and School

• Community
• Small, rural town in Middle Tennessee
• Majority of people work in factories (logging
  industry)
• School
• Most students do not go onto college
• About 350 students with 3 Hispanics, all from the
  same family

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Ruths Conceptions

• Believes biggest challenge in teaching is making
  the mathematics relevant to the lives of the
  students
• Having a hard time implementing the Standards
• Willing to try ANYTHING

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Ruths Practices

• Block scheduling
• Unique textbook
• Warm-Up problems
• Very non-traditional
• Assessment

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Analysis

• Themes
• comfort-level
• confidence
• knowledge of content
• knowledge of curriculum
• making mathematics relevant

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Analysis

• Ruths conceptions of T L
• Ruths conceptions of reform movement
• Encourage/discourage new visions of teaching

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Analysis

• Major research question
• What factors influence a teacher to implement
  reform-based ideas into her classroom practices?

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Findings

• Ruth is not the typical teacher
• Willing to take risks
• Willing to put in extra time to develop ideas and
  bring them to the classroom
• Wants mathematics to have meaning for her students

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Recommendations for Future Research

• How do students react to non-traditional teaching
  methods?
• Is block scheduling a factor in a teachers
  decision to use reform-based practices?
• Is the textbook a factor in how a teacher
  operates in the classroom?

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Implications for Teacher Education

• Exposure to the reform movement
• What does it look like?
• How does one get there?
• Mathematics content courses need to adopt
  reform-movement practices.

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Questions Comments

• Email
• ltmcenders_at_mtsu.edugt
• ltwrightlj_at_hotmail.comgt
• Website
• http//www.mtsu.edu/mcenders