Mathematics Teacher Educator Podcast

Episode 21: Undergraduate Research in Mathematics Education: Using Qualitative Data About Children’s Learning to Make Decisions About Teaching

September 18th, 2020  |  Season 5  |  30 mins 45 secs

undergraduate research; design-based research; clinical interviews; formative assessment; classroom data analysis

Undergraduate research is increasingly prevalent in many fields of study, but it is not yet widespread in mathematics education. We argue that expanding undergraduate research opportunities in mathematics education would be beneficial to the field. Such opportunities can be impactful as either extracurricular or course-embedded experiences. To help readers envision directions for undergraduate research experiences in mathematics education with prospective teachers, we describe a model built on a design-based research paradigm. The model engages pairs of prospective teachers in working with faculty mentors to design instructional sequences and test the extent to which they support children’s learning. Undergraduates learn about the nature of systematic mathematics education research and how careful analyses of classroom data can guide practice. Mentors gain opportunities to pursue their personal research interests while guiding undergraduate pairs. We explain how implementing the core cycle of the model, whether on a small or large scale, can help teachers make instructional decisions that are based on rich, qualitative classroom data.

Episode 20: Learning to Launch Complex Tasks: How Instructional Visions Influence the Exploration of the Practice

September 11th, 2020  |  Season 5  |  25 mins 53 secs

instructional vision; practice-based teacher education; teacher learning cycle; launch; complex tasks

This study investigates how the exploration phase of the teacher learning cycle provides 11 novice mathematics teachers with the opportunity to learn about the high-leverage practice of launching a complex task. Findings suggest that the exploration phase of the teacher learning cycle provides novice teachers with opportunities to reflect on how
to launch a complex task within the context of their own instructional practice. Because of this opportunity to deeply consider the pedagogical resource and reflect on it, novice teachers’ instructional visions were a filter through which they interpreted key instructional strategies offered up during the exploration phase of the teacher learning cycle. Further, the authors discuss three key takeaways for teacher educators who are attempting to implement the teacher learning cycle into their teacher education coursework

Episode 19: Do You See What I See? Formative Assessment of Preservice Teachers’ Noticing of Students’ Mathematical Thinking

September 4th, 2020  |  Season 5  |  37 mins 27 secs

formative assessment; professional noticing; approximations of practice

Developing expertise in professional noticing of students’ mathematical thinking takes time
and meaningful learning experiences. We used the LessonSketch platform to create a learning
experience for secondary preservice teachers (PSTs) involving an approximation of teaching
practice to formatively assess PSTs’ noticing skills of students’ mathematical thinking.
Our study showed that approximations of teaching practice embedded within platforms
like LessonSketch can enable mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) to carry out effective
formative assessment of PSTs’ professional noticing of students’ mathematical thinking
that is meaningful for both PSTs and MTEs. The experience itself as well as its design features
and framework used with the assessment can be applied in the work of MTEs who develop teachers’ professional noticing skills of students’ mathematical thinking.

Episode 18: Design Principles for Examining Student Practices in a Technology-Mediated Environment

August 28th, 2020  |  Season 5  |  36 mins 53 secs

technology; function; preservice secondary mathematics teachers

In this article, we present a set of design principles to guide the development of
instructional materials aimed to support preservice secondary mathematics teachers
(PSMTs) examining student practices in technology-mediated environments. To
develop design principles, we drew on the literature related to technological
pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK; Niess, 2005), video cases as learning objects
(Sherin & van Es, 2005), and professional noticing (Jacobs, et al., 2010). After presenting
the design principles, we share a task created using these design principles. Finally, we
share PSMTs’ reflections about changes in their own understanding after examining
students’ practices. Their responses provide insights into the usefulness of the
design principles for deepening PSMTs’ mathematical knowledge and knowledge
of students’ understanding, thinking, and learning with technology.

Episode 17: Editorial: Analyzing Eight Years of Mathematics Teacher Educator Articles: Where We Were, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going

June 29th, 2020  |  Season 5  |  34 mins 57 secs

In this editorial, an analysis of articles published in the Mathematics Teacher Educator journal (MTE) from 2012 to 2020, which describes the knowledge base for mathematics teacher educators addressed by MTE authors, is presented. This analysis builds on similar work conducted four years ago (Bieda, 2016). These more recent findings demonstrate that articles focusing on teacher knowledge; mathematical content; student thinking and reasoning;
and models of teacher preparation or in-service professional development (PD) have been the most frequently published in MTE. In contrast, a limited number of articles have focused on discourse; diversity, equity, and language; technology; and methods of research. This examination allows us to assess as a community where we were, where we are, and where we might go in the future.