Developers and researchers at the University of Wisconsin are creating and studying a professional development model that extends the Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) model developed by the PI and his colleagues. The proposed model is targeted at children in pre-kindergarten, particularly four-year-olds, and focuses on culturally relevant teaching and learning. The model stresses a specific, circumscribed content domain - basic number operations - with the intention of exploring the domain in depth.
The project designs, develops, and tests innovative resources and models for teachers to support ongoing professional learning communities. These learning communities are designed to identify and build on the rich mathematical understandings of all pre-K children. The project's specific goals are to instantiate a reciprocal "funds of knowledge" framework for (a) accessing children's out-of-school experiences in order to provide instruction that is equitable and culturally relevant and (b) developing culturally effective ways to support families in understanding how to mathematize their children's out-of-school activities. Teachers are observed weekly during the development and evaluation process and student assessments are used to measure students' progress toward meeting project benchmarks and the program's effectiveness in reducing or eliminating the achievement gap.
The outcome is a complete professional development model that includes written and digital materials. The product includes case studies, classroom video, examples of student work, and strategies for responding to students' understandings.
