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Descriptions and agendas of pre-service implementations (F3)
Pre-service Implementation C -- Description

Pre-service Implementation C

This was our third implementation of a math methods course based on the proposed framework and, like all the other implementations of this course featured in these materials, it took place within the teacher preparation program offered at a research university.

Participants:

The students in the Methods course were nine elementary pre-service teachers and four secondary math pre-service teachers. All the elementary pre-service teachers were engaged in a part-time student teaching experience concurrently with the Methods course. All the secondary math pre-service teachers also attended the follow-up mathematics education course offered in the Spring semester, and completed their student teaching experiences within the program directed by the Methods course instructor.

Variations in the Methods course:

This methods course developed along much the same lines as the one described in Section B.2, with a few exceptions. Most notably, we redesigned the area inquiry experience to align more closely with the one described in Section D2.2 of these materials. In addition, a series of sessions on probability, intended to model the process of rethinking the teaching of a mathematical topics, were substituted for the independent inquiry activity.

Variations in other components of the secondary math teacher preparation program:

We made substantial changes, instead, in the design of the follow-up math education course for the secondary math pre-service teachers. A major part of this course now consisted in several "Mini-series," each designed to help participants "rethink" a specific mathematical topic and become familiar with resources that provided instructional ideas and materials to teach that topic. As these mini-series were also made available to in-service teachers participating in a concurrent Local Systemic Change project, the students participating in the follow-up course had the additional benefit of interacting with some teachers engaged in school mathematics reform.

Field experiences expectations:

As in most implementations of the Methods course, all the elementary pre-service teachers engaged in a part-time student teaching experience concurrently with the methods course, and were encouraged to use this setting to develop their final project -- involving the design and implementation of an innovative instructional experience. Some changes instead took place in the field experiences expectations for secondary math pre-service teachers. These changes included: the task of observing and documenting the teaching of an inquiry unit as part of their first field experience (which took place concurrently with the Methods course); the option to design a first inquiry unit based on one of our illustrative units in preparation for their student teaching experience; the option to do their full time student teaching experience in one of the schools participating in our Local Systemic Change project (an option used by four of the five secondary math pre-service teachers).

Support provided during the field experiences:

Elementary student teachers received the usual university supervision, consisting of a total of 3-4 classroom visits followed by debriefing meetings over the semester. The secondary math pre-service teachers who chose to student teach in one of our Local Systemic Change schools, instead, received more intense supervision from the school facilitator assigned to that school. In addition, all secondary math pre-service teachers met in a weekly seminar led by the same instructor, where some time was devoted to discussing their on-going student teaching experiences and to provide feedback on their attempts towards instructional innovation.

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