This NSF CCLI Phase 1 project develops innovative mathematics teaching and learning videocases based on actual classroom practices, and then are used in methods courses for preservice high school mathematics teachers. In addition, the project conducts research on the influence of the cases on preservice teachers' learning. The High School Mathematics Teaching and Learning Videocases are defined as records of practice that include video and text documents that depict actual high school mathematics classroom situations in order to promote preservice teacher learning through the analysis of issues related to mathematics, teaching practice, and student thinking. Specifically, the cases are used to create contexts that facilitate preservice secondary teachers' development of mathematics knowledge for teaching, understanding of their implicit assumptions about mathematics, and mathematics teaching and learning while at the same time broadening their knowledge of the work entailed in teaching mathematics and supporting students' mathematical thinking.
Current research demonstrates the potential of videocases to foster teachers' ability to attend to student thinking, explore mathematical concepts, and to develop teachers' professional vision. In addition, in the last decade there has been a proliferation of case-based materials for teacher education, primarily aimed at the elementary and middle school levels. There is a considerable lack, however, of such cases focused specifically on high school mathematics, grades 9 through 12, and that address educational goals specific to preservice teacher education. This project contributes to the growing body of case-based materials for secondary teacher education.
based on actual classroom practice to be used in methods courses for preservice high school mathematics teachers. In addition, the project conducted research to determine the influence of the cases on preservice teachers’ learning to analyze teaching in terms of student thinking (Hiebert, J., Morris, A., Berk, D., & Jansen, A., 2007), knowledge that is central to that which is needed for teaching (Ball, Hill, & Bass, 2005). The High School Mathematics Teaching and Learning Videocases are defined as records of practice (Lampert and Ball, 1998) that include video and text documents that depict actual high school mathematics classroom situations in order to promote preservice teacher learning through the analysis of issues related to mathematics, teaching practice, and student thinking. Specifically, the cases were used to create contexts that facilitate preservice secondary teachers’ development of mathematics knowledge for teaching (Hill, Rowan, & Ball, 2005; Ball et al., 2005), understanding of their implicit assumptions about mathematics, and mathematics teaching and learning while at the same time broadening their knowledge of the work entailed in teaching mathematics and supporting students’ mathematical thinking. In the following table, a description of each of the cases has been included: Teacher School Grade Student population Curriculum Subject Topic(s) Themes Tanya Inner City Public 9th Co-ed Project Based Curriculum -Teacher designed Algebra Quadratics Zara Inner City -Selective Enrollment Public 12th Co-ed IMP & Functions Modeling Change; Workshop Statistics Pre-calculus Arithmetic/Geometric series/sequences Carla Inner City – Charter Public School 10th Co-ed IMP Geometry Midpoint, Dist. formula, Parallel/Perpendicular lines, Transformation, Reflection, Translation Frank Inner City Public 9th Co-ed Agile Mind Algebra Systems of equation Tomas Inner City Public 11th–12th Co-ed Project Based Curriculum (teacher created) Advanced Algebra with Trig. Logarithms Tomas Inner City Public 12th Co-ed Project Based Curriculum (teacher created) AP Calculus Surface area and Volume Louis Inner City Public 10th–12th Female IMP 3 & 4 Integrated Math Slope and equation of line The Library of Videocases resides on the University’s Blackboard system and is accessible by a password protected log in after a user is added to the platform. Each videocase consists of video excerpts, a PowerPoint with tasks to use along with the video component, handouts with student written work, and homework assignments. Current research demonstrates the potential of videocases to foster teachers’ ability to attend to student thinking, explore mathematical concepts (Kazemi & Franke, 2003; Seago & Goldsmith, 2006, Sherin & van Es, 2005), and to develop teachers’ professional vision, i.e. the ability to notice and interpret significant features of classroom interactions (Sherin & van Es, 2009). In addition, in the last decade there has been a proliferation of case-based materials for teacher education, primarily aimed at the elementary and middle school levels (Barnett, Goldenstein, & Jackson, 1993; Boaler, & Humphrey, 2005; Smith, Silver & Stein, 2005a, 2005b, 2005c; Stein, Smith, Henningsen, & Silver, 2000). There is a considerable lack, however, of such cases focused specifically on high school mathematics, grades 9 through 12, and that address educational goals specific to preservice teacher education. The proposed project aimed to contribute to the growing body of case-based materials for secondary teacher education. We found that the videocases had an impact on math preservice teachers anticipation of students’ possible strategies in terms of the variety and in terms of the mathematical depth. Preservice teachers were able to anticipate more students’ potential strategies during the post-assesment in a linear functions task. In addition, they were able to identify in more detail elements of the linear function involved in the task. While these PST seem pretty attuned before and after the intervention to concrete strategies as displayed on video.
