Teacher Quality Grants High Schools Community Colleges

Teacher Quality Grants: High Schools, Community Colleges & Universities, a perspective G. Donald Allen, TAMU Sharon Sledge, SJCC Seamless Transitions, March 28 -30, 2005

Outline § Teacher Quality Grant – Type A, overview of the team and technology § Relations between partners § Getting the right content at the right level § Technology – developing, teaching, training, using § Conclusion & Recommendations

Teacher Quality Grant – Type A, overview of the team and technology § The collaboration – origins § The Type A grant process § The Type B grant practice

The Collaboration University ↔Community College ↔K-12 § ICTCM pre-sessions – technology focus § ICTCM summer workshops – technology in the classroom § Teacher Quality Grant – Type A – materials development § Teacher Quality Grant – Type B – professional development

Type A - Pre-Calculus Components § Content § Videos § Interactivity § Assessment § Rubrics § Activities § Signature activities

The Authoring Team § Texas A&M University § San Jacinto Community College § Houston Community College § College Station ISD § Pasadena ISD § Aldine ISD

The Authors G. Donald Allen, Texas A&M University; animations, production, content modules, workshops. Amy Austin, Texas A&M University; content authoring, workshops, mentoring tips and teaching strategies. Heather Axelson, Texas A&M University; module design, content authoring. Adrienne Bentz, Texas A&M University; administrative assistant. Kathryn Bollinger, Texas A&M University; content authoring. Monica Bozeman, College Station ISD; video module production, virtual calculator emulation, design. Oscar Chavarria, Pasadena ISD; reviewing, design, workshops. De-Vonna Clark, Canyon ISD, Randall High School; resource authoring. Marcia Drost, Texas A&M University; content authoring. Dianne Goldsby, Texas A&M University; resources, trainer notes, mentoring tips and teaching strategies, design. Mark Hockman, Aldine ISD; reviewing, workshops. Sarah Janes, San Jacinto College - instructor/trainer notes, ISD liaison, workshops. Susan Metalfe, Pasadena ISD, liaison. Kathleen Walker Murrell, Pasadena ISD; reviewing, workshops. Diem Nguyen, Bowling Green State University; essays. Charles Odion, Houston Community College; assessments. Marilyn Osborn, Channelview ISD; liaison. Kevin Nunn, Aldine ISD; reviewing, workshops. Sara Ptomey, Aldine ISD; liaison. Michael Pilant, Texas A&M University; - content development, HTML integration. Mary Selcer, College Station ISD; video module production, virtual calculator emulation, design. Sharon Sledge, San Jacinto College - instructor/trainer notes, ISD liaison, content modules, workshops. F. Michael Speed, Texas A&M University; - video production, training, tutorials Walter Stewart, Aldine ISD; reviewing, workshops. Granville Sydnor, San Jacinto College - evaluation. Jennifer Whitfield, Texas A&M University; module design, advisory, content

Teacher Quality Type B § Emphasis § Clarity of content for teachers! § Examples of problems/content/activities the new teacher can use. § Technology in the classroom – how, why, what and when. § The real role of technology – to help the teacher!

Teacher Quality Type B § Challenges § Teachers understanding content § Mathematical misconceptions. § Learning technology vs using technology § Dominance of the curricula by the TAKS § Teacher motivation § Understanding K-12 issues

Teacher Quality Type B § Successes § Clarifying mathematical ideas and improving teacher self confidence § Clarifying what is required at the collegiate level § Teachers giving formal presentations on using technology in the classroom § Teachers developing technology interventions to aid their teaching

Teacher Quality Type B § Scoreboard § 10% completely redefined what they will be doing with technology, have developed independent ideas § 35% have clearer ideas of how to use technology and intend to use it § 35% have less apprehension about the spectrum of technology available § 20% no change

Technology - I § Excel § Plotting software: Maple, Winplot § Graphing calculators § Video capture § Screen capture § Digitization § CBR § Wacom tablet & Tablet PC

Technology II – in the schools § One – several PC’s in the classroom § Large screen TV § Graphing calculators § PC-TV connections? § Data projector § Computer lab Institutional and personal roadblocks to active teaching with technology

TVs: Connection vs Resolution The PC-TV connection Can you read this?

Technology - III § Universities have expertise with math technologies, particularly with computers § Community colleges and high schools have graphing calculator expertise § Teachers are receptive to technology but it is difficult for them to implement it

Graphing Calculators – brief history § Affordable graphing calculators arrive 1980’s. § Colleges adapt engineering curriculum to use them. § Schools follow by integrating calculators into the math curriculum. § Universities abandon graphing calculators (mid 90’s).

Teacher comments, observations § Teachers like certain types of software – determined by utility and ease of learning (e. g. video capture, plotting) § Teachers are administratively compelled to use graphing calculators when they know they should be teaching more content.

Teacher comments, observations § Teachers need concept ideas on how to use the technology – actual examples are best § Teachers tend to prefer technology that may help them do their job in the traditional (transparencies) way. § Math teachers are tremendously overloaded with non-math related tasks.

Teacher Comments: TECHNOLOGY

Power. Point

Preparing for the Power. Point presentations was food for thought. The possibility of hooking students thru technology was a plus. Because you have the ability to move at the pace of the student's learning ability.

Digitizer

… digitizing pictures. . . a fun and learning experience for me. I can only imagine how beneficial it would be for the student. Identifying math in the world. . . shapes …and making equations, widens the student's perspective of the real world.

I am really glad for the chance to capture digital images from picture files, digital cameras, calculators, etc. My students are not all responding to traditional teaching methods and my school district is urging us to use more hands-on methods

Excel

Thanks for showing me the continued math uses of excel. I never knew that it could do so much.

The use of Excel to show regression was great. Then showing the same regression on the graphing calculator just reinforced the concept.

I think the activity that we did using Excel was excellent. I learned how to do things that I had no idea of how to do before this workshop. I even tried to do an activity of my own that involved trig functions and parameter changes (a*sin(b(x-c)) +d)

Camtasia

I can see this (Camtasia) benefiting my class and well as for the two students that I have on homebound. Class presentations can be sent to them and they are able to follow along with verbal instructions from me and not from the HB teacher that is not a math knowledgeable person.

CBL/CBR

I was one of the few teachers that used it in my math department. I liked using it because it caught the students’ interest -- they wanted to "play" and make it work.

Content – I § Universities have content experts but little knowledge in knowing what happens in the high school classroom. § Community Colleges have a variety of levels of content expertise § Developmental to Sophomore level teaching responsibilities

§ Community Colleges have a variety of levels of content expertise § Developmental to Sophomore level teaching responsibilities § High School faculty have pedagogical expertise § Community colleges and Universities need to know more about pedagogy & pedagogical content knowledge

Content – II Universities and Community colleges need to know more about high school curriculum § TEKS § Content Level § Reteach/Retest § High School Teachers need to know more about college curriculum § Content Background Expectations § Technology Expectations

Content – III § Community Colleges are closer to high schools in culture, context and locality. § Community Colleges serve as a bridge between high school and universities § For students § For faculty

Teacher Comments: CONTENT

We discussed the different ways students look at solving quadratics. We also talked about common generalizations some students, teachers, and publishers make concerning quadratics.

We did the activity where we linked series, sequences, and sums with their appropriate algebraic representation. It was a great activity. I don’t think I have ever so clearly seen the connection - or at least it has been so long since I’ve looked at them that I don’t remember.

The discussion on evaluate vs. solve was interesting. I got a lot of ideas about presenting the idea of domain and range, evaluate and solve.

I had never created rules for exponential functions based on a table of values. I enjoyed seeing how and why this process works.

This class has truly been a stretch back to high school.

I found the problems mentally challenging. … I think too many of our math teachers were like me when I came out of collegeunprepared. I think that we don't really understand all of what's behind some of the higher level math.

Classes like this help us to learn more and therefore, become better teachers of math.

I'm slowly coming out of my comfort zone …

Teacher Comments PEDAGOGY :

… held a group discussion about using 2 continuity videos as classroom tools to teach/review piece-wise functions being continuous or not. Although this is beyond the scope of my 9 th graders, it is helpful to know what they will be learning in years to come.

I think that as technology advances, teachers and schools must advance, as well. So we really do not have the option of not using every advance we can. … I see my district using this (Camtasia), for all classes to view one presentation of one teacher.

I think it's important to look at things in different ways and hear other people's perspectives. It opens your mind to possibilities. I think we need to listen to our students in the same way.

I had to think about the answers that I chose and looked for ways to justify them. I especially liked the fact that I got to discuss my answers with a partner. I think that this is a good way to make students aware of their peers thought processes and to give credence to cooperative learning

Recommendations § Lack of consistent notational usage for § mathematical terms. Standard assessment instruments should be used across all TQ grants. A technology inventory should be available for each school/entity. Procedures for use clearly defined. Professional development should be required for teachers in content and technology and PCK

Recommendations § Components that teachers how students learn should be a part of TQ grants. § Close the gap of technology expertise in HS, CC and Universities so students do not have that hurdle to face when attending college. § Avenues for communication between HS, CC and University mathematics departments should be established

Teacher Comments RECOMMENDATIONS :

Do I think I'll use this new tool for teaching? Honestly, I like to use new tools and ideas in my teaching but only if the school can make it available because realistically I can't afford to buy all the neat stuff that I might be able to use in my classroom.

The technology at your fingertips on the podium is absolutely awesome. . . can I have one for my regular classroom?

… the inverse converter is something I can use with my students. …seeing if I could schedule a day around when it will be taught, to go into the computer lab. They usually don't do that, but since it'll be first semester and not in the spring, I'm hoping to get into the lab.

I have been too used to dumbing down the material to get most students to pass the class that they did not learn enough to do well on national assessments. I need to bring the lower students up instead of bring the upper students down.

Finally I can say without a doubt that every child I have can and will benefit from what I am learning or being exposed to with them.

I had a great time working on Power. Point. I would really like to use it more in my class …I need more practice in order to become more comfortable with it.

Today we discussed undefined and indeterminate numbers. The discussion was very enlightening. I am sure that I will use these same types of questions to provoke true mathematical thought processes from my students.