Developing Equity-Centered Leadership Knowledge and Skills via Lesson Study in an Online Mathematics Specialist Program

This paper highlights how coursework within a synchronous online mathematics specialist program enhanced candidates’ leadership knowledge and provided structures that addressed issues of equity and access. A focus on one online assignment grounded in Lesson Study played a pivotal role in developing equity-centered leadership and instructional practices. Program instructors and recent alumni illuminate how designing, implementing, and reflecting on the Lesson Study experience served as a cornerstone for advancing their mathematics instruction in the following ways: (a) as instructors designing an online leadership course, (b) as learners within an online environment, and (c) as educators within their K–8 school settings. The description of these experiences supports the broader mathematics education community’s goal of achieving a cohesive vision for the teaching and learning of mathematics, while promoting equitable practices in school-based work

Enriching TPACK in mathematics education: using digital interactive notebooks in synchronous online learning environments

Purpose: In spring 2020, educators throughout the world abruptly shifted to emergency remote teaching in response to an emerging pandemic. The instructors of a graduate-level synchronous online geometry and measurement course for practicing school teachers redesigned their summative assessments. Their goals were to reduce outside-of-class work and to model the integration of content, pedagogy and technology. This paper aims to describe the development of a digital interactive notebook (dINB) assignment using online presentation software, dynamic geometry tools and mathematical learning trajectories. Broader implications for dINBs as assessments in effective distance learning are presented. Design/methodology/approach: The qualitative analysis in this study consists of a sequence of first-cycle coding of mid-semester surveys and second-cycle thematic categorizations of mid-semester surveys and end-of-course reflections. Descriptive categorization counts along with select quotations from open-ended participant responses provided a window on evolving participant experiences with the dINB across the course. Findings: Modifications to the dINB design based on teacher mid-semester feedback created a flexible assessment tool aligned with the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework. The teachers also constructed their own visions for adapting the dINB for student-centered instructional technology integration in their own virtual classrooms. Originality/value: The development of the dINB enriched the TPACK understandings of the instructors in this study. It also positioned teachers to facilitate innovative synchronous and blended learning in their own school communities. Further analysis of dINB artifacts in future studies will test the hypothesis that practicing teachers’ experiences as learners increased their TPACK knowledge

“Everybody Was Included in the Conversation”: Teachers’ Perceptions of Student Engagement in Transdisciplinary STEM Learning in Diverse Elementary Schools

This qualitative interview study examines STEM integration in three diverse elementary schools through the eyes of the teachers and instructional coaches (n = 9) who facilitated the transdisciplinary Box Turtle Model-eliciting Activity (MEA). Prior to implementation, participants attended a full-day professional development workshop in which they experienced the MEA in school-based triads of principals, coaches, and teachers. The educators then implemented the MEA with elementary students from across multiple grade levels. We used the guiding principles of productive disciplinary engagement in our analysis of educator interviews to interpret participants’ perceptions of how an MEA encourages elementary students to (a) problematize real-world scenarios, (b) direct their own learning, and (c) collaborate through meaningful academic discourse. Educators also identified challenges to integrating STEM in elementary classrooms. The Box Turtle MEA offered more equitable access to STEM by positioning students as authorities and providing space for them to be accountable to themselves and others in solving an authentic, real-world problem

Researchers as Coaches: Developing Mathematics Teaching Capacity Using MEAs for STEM Integration

The purpose of this study was to explore how university researcher professional development design decisions built and sustained K-8 partnerships which foregrounded mathematics in integrated STEM via model-eliciting activities (MEAs). We applied a self-study methodology to facilitate a longitudinal examination of our practice in this multi-year project. We used the Decision-Making Protocol for Mathematics Coaching to understand our collaboration with division stakeholders as they worked toward integrating MEAs with district curriculum and pacing. Analysis of professional development artifacts, evidence of scholarship, and researcher memos revealed four recalibration points driven by district initiatives and leadership changes. Coaching with MEAs created opportunities for equitable student engagement and formative assessment. Implications for designing professional development that emphasizes explicit connections between the constraints of mathematics curriculum and the possibilities of teaching and learning through STEM integration are presented