Teacher Education Community Research Articles

School Mathematics Reform: Implications for Mathematics Teacher Preparation

In the past four decades, attention in research in teaching has turned from the content of teaching and learning to the context in which they occur. Many researchers now view learning as active construction rather than passive absorption, and teaching as facilitation rather than transmission. A similar shift has occurred in the view of the school curriculum, now less a collection of topics than a set of experiences. In mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics publication The Agenda for Action (1980) opened a new dimension to how many educators view teaching. The recommendations in the Agenda emphasized problem solving and applications; a reexamination of basic skills; incorporation of calculators, computers, and other technology into the mathematics curriculum; and more mathematics for all students. As a response to the Agenda, in 1986, the Board of Directors of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics NCTM) established the Commission on Standards for School Mathematics to help improve the quality of school mathematics (NCTM, 1989). Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 1989), which established a framework to guide reform in school mathematics, is the product of the Commission. This document, along with the Professional Teaching Standards (NCTM, 1991) and the Assessment Standards for Teaching Mathematics (NCTM, 1995), set forth a vision of school mathematics curriculum and teaching and a view of evaluation different from what most teachers experienced in their mathematical education and what they found in most textbooks. If the mathematics curriculum changes as proposed, the need for competent teachers will become more acute. Teachers will need more and better preparation, for teaching for better mathematics (Begle, 1972) demands better teaching of mathematics. The recommendations of the current reform for school mathematics focus attention on teaching. They require that teacher education programs play an integral role in familiarizing teachers with current recommendations and preparing them with the professional knowledge base for realizing those visions. Research on mathematics teachers and teacher education indicate that this process is neither straightforward nor simple. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards for content, pedagogy, and evaluation provide the direction, but not the mechanism, for reform in school mathematics. A mechanism for reform must be developed; without it even current guidance will not affect the teaching of mathematics. This mechanism must take into account the challenges of preparing teachers to teach in accord with the proposed visions and provide a perspective on how to deal with the complexities of teacher change. This mechanism must serve as the vehicle for improving teaching as well as teacher education. The mathematics teacher education community has recognized this need for some time. Bruner (1966) indicated that a theory of instruction must specify how a body of knowledge should be structured so that learners can most readily grasped it. A theory of instruction should identify the most effective ways in to facilitate learning. Cooney and Brown (1985) argue that a theory or theories in mathematics education must ultimately provide a basis for improving the teaching and learning of mathematics. Recent researchers on mathematics teacher education have examined four reform areas in educating mathematics teachers: teacher beliefs, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and pedagogical reasoning. In this article, I synthesize research on these areas and provide several recommendations for the reform in teacher education. Beliefs I believe teachers make decisions about students and curriculum in rational ways according to conceptions they hold. To design teacher education programs without understanding those conceptions and their role creates a context where teacher educators believe that their insights into the teaching/learning cycle are synonymous or even consistent with those of the teachers they teach (Cooney, 1994, p. …

A Reflection on the Relationship between Technology and Teacher Education: synergy or separate entities?

The basis of this paper is the observation, supported by various international surveys and discussions, that much of the 'education' teachers receive concerning the applications of computer-related technology has occurred not only apart from a direct relationship to research about information technology and its learning impact on students, but also outside of the mainstream teacher education system itself. In this essay, an historical perspective is used to consider the relationship between information technology (IT) and teacher education (TE) to support the argument that there has been little substantial symbiosis between the educational technology community and the teacher education community, and that the 'computers in education” movement has further splintered rather than integrated these communities. The argument is also made that developments such as the on-line provision of new forms of teacher education offers additional challenges to the mainstream teacher education community. The essay argues that synergy rather than fragmentation or even competition is needed among the many players involved with information technology and teacher education.

Schools for a new century: a conservative approach to radical school reform

Foreword by Terell H. Bell Introduction: A Conservative Approach to Radical School Reform The Need for Nationally Sponsored Experimental Schools School Reform Movements: Tinkering with the System Transforming Schools: A National Perspective Experimental School Governance: National, State, and Local Accountability and Incentive Teachers and Staffing Curriculum Technology in Education Teacher Education Community Involvement in School Programs and Structures Resources Previewing the Future Selected Bibliography Index

Why Models Matter: An Alternate View on Professional Growth in Teaching

These contrasting perspectives on teaching provide a convenient point of departure for my response to Kagan's review. How researchers frame teaching inevitably colors both the questions they choose to study and the models they create for teacher preparation. Kagan proposes a model of learning to teach that reflects the importance she places on mastery of procedural routines. Another body of research, either specifically excluded or otherwise omitted from her review, depicts teaching as centrally concerned with helping all students learn worthwhile content, within the context of a multicultural and pluralistic society. These studies do not necessarily support Kagan's developmental model; their findings complicate the narrative constructed by Kagan and cast doubt on the adequacy of her recommendations for teacher education. The existing literature on learning to teach does not lead inexorably towards Kagan's conclusions, nor is the evidence across competing discourse communities of researchers on teacher education as clear and convincing as she suggests. Kagan's review reflects one sector of the teacher education community. But there are other sectors. Some researchers on teacher education see the process of learning to teach through the lens of subject matter; others view teaching and learning to teach from an explicitly moral and ethical stance. The evidence, when considered in its entirety, is mixed. Ultimately, discussions of teacher education are informed as much by normative concerns as by empirical findings. The vision for teacher education held by many researchers differs from Kagan's. Many see teacher education as preparing prospective teachers not to adapt to existing conditions but to challenge current practices and to work for change. To claim, however, that research supports a developmental model, while excluding studies that challenge this model, misrepresents the full body of research on professional growth among preservice teachers.

Candidate Selection in a Fifth Year Teacher Education Recruitment Model: A Multi-stage Partnership Approach

Clark and Fischetti describe a model for use in recruiting prospective teacher candidates to teach mathematics, science, and English in secondary schools. The article is a detailed descrip tion of MESTEP, a 15 month master's level program, with particular attention to selection processes and interview procedures. The implications for the teacher education community are dis cussed.

High School Reform and the Reform of Teacher Education

In this article, Sizer argues that a pre requisite to effective teacher education reform is the involvement of the teacher education community in school reform efforts. Schools of education that avoid sustained involvement in school reform efforts, he asserts, will be perceived by prospective teachers as unresponsive to or even hypocritical about the critical is sues of schooling. He identifies several such issues and posits strategies for ad dressing them.