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Sixth Annual Symposium Series on Excellence in Teaching Mathematics and Science: Research and Practice
ABSTRACTS February 13 Plenary Talks Excellence in Teaching Mathematics and Science: Policies, Programs, and Practices Rodger Bybee, Executive Director, Biological Sciences Curriculum Project This presentation will review contemporary issues influencing the teaching profession. Issues include the legislation No Child Left Behind, international assessments such as TIMSS and PISA, and national standards. Quantitative Literacy: Whose Responsibility? Deborah Hughes Hallett, Professor of Mathematics, University of Arizona This talk will discuss the nature of quantitative literacy and how it differs from mathematics. I will argue that the development of quantitative literacy in our students requires the collaboration of faculty at all levels and in many different disciplines. Examples will be given of the kinds of thinking that we would like to see students acquire, and of the types of collaboration needed.
February 13 Break-out Sessions Breakout Session I 2:45 - 3:35 pm Teaching Science as Inquiry Rodger W. Bybee, Biological Sciences Curriculum Study This session will review "Science as Inquiry" from national and international perspectives. Emphasis will be placed on teacher preparation and professional development.
Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: using teaching activities to deepen mathematical understanding Judith Sallee, Harper College, and Bonnie Saunders, UIC How can undergraduate instruction help preservice teachers to understand the mathematical knowledge that will be required of them when they become teachers? The presenters use a variety of activities to place the students in "teaching situations," where such knowledge is needed. This session will focus on peer-grading of homework, individual presentation of problems, and scenario exam questions. Participants in the session will examine problems, assignments, grading rubrics, and some student work. Copies of presenters' procedures, scoring rubrics, and examples of "teaching situation" questions will be available. Participants will also have an opportunity to offer feedback on existing work and suggestions for future activities.
So you want
to reform P-16 Science Education in Chicago? A conversation about
strategies and realities Michael Lach,
Chicago Public Schools and Steven R. Rogg, DePaul University Breakout Session II 4:00 - 4:50 pm The Role of Symbolic Manipulation Deborah Hughes Hallett, University of Arizona Many students now have easy access to computer algebra systems. What difference does this make to what and how we teach? To what students learn? What difference should it make? How do we tell what manipulations students should still learn to do by hand? We will discuss how to approach answering these difficult but urgent questions. The session will begin with an activity in which the participants, working in pairs, will classify different types of problems as to whether they would want students to do them by hand or would let students use a computer algebra system to solve them. Based on the discussion of people's responses, we'll draw up some possible guidelines for deciding the impact a CAS should have on what and how we teach.
The Geowall: A New 3D Visualization Tool for Teaching Science David Jabon, DePaul University Jim Sweitzer, DePaul University Until recently, immersive 3D visualization has been prohibitively expensive for use in education because it required high end graphics workstations, specialized software, and extremely costly projection systems. However, inexpensive PCs and LCD projectors have reduced the cost of a basic system to under $10,000, and open source viewing software is now available. The most popular (and inexpensive) of these new visualization systems is the Geowall, developed by a large consortium of universities.(http://www.geowall.org). Geowalls use polarizing filters to create compelling 3D images. They are relatively portable and can accommodate up to 30 people at a time with very inexpensive polarized glasses. Geowalls have enormous potential for both research and education, and the focus of this breakout session is on applications to math and science education, particularly at the university level. The goal of this session is to experience a Geowall as a group and then to have an open discussion on its potential use in science teaching. We will relate the rather limited amount of research that has been done on the use of Geowalls in science education as well as our experiences using a Geowall with science students and teachers. We will set up DePaul University’s Geowall and then look at a few data sets and models from a variety of sciences including: The Mars Exploration Rover 3D images of Mars, a 3D model of the heart and lungs, a solar system simulator. Then, we will quickly review the background of the use of such experiences in education paying particular attention to what planetarium educators have learned over the years and what science educators especially in the geosciences have learned just recently using Geowalls in university classes. In the last portion of the session, we will lead an open discussion that explores a range of questions that this technology raises, including the following: (1) Does this technology really hold any realistic potential for educators and if so, primarily for whom and in which domains? (2) How would one measure the educational effectiveness of a Geowall in a way that avoids the Hawthorne Effect? Our expectation is that by the end of the session we not only will have enjoyed seeing the new Mars images in 3D but also will have some fresh ideas about how one might proceed to take advantage of this new tool in math and science education.
Learning to Teach Elementary Science in Context Judith S. Lederman, Illinois Institute of Technology Norman G. Lederman, Illinois Institute of Technology All teachers need to know their subject matter thoroughly, but knowing subject matter is not enough. All teachers also need to understand students, understand how they learn, how they think, what motivates them, and how they satisfy their needs, but just knowing these things is not enough. The effective teacher successfully integrates knowledge of subject matter, students, curriculum, schools, and pedagogy. Methods texts typically do not discuss all types of knowledge, and what is discussed is usually discussed as separate, disconnected entities that the students are supposed to integrate. Unfortunately, this approach does not work well and even the most well-intentioned beginning teacher dutifully learns the topics presented while continually wondering what each has to do with teaching. Instead of separate discussions on learning theory and classroom management, such topics should be discussed within the context of a teacher’s planning and implementing instruction. People learn things best if what they are being asked to learn is placed within a meaningful context. Consequently, methods courses and methods texts should be significantly reorganized so that “traditional” topics of pedagogy and content are placed within a meaningful context: that is, teaching. The Teaching Cycle will be presented as a meaningful way to develop the knowledge and skills of the novice teacher that is consistent with recent research on situated cognition and pedagogical content knowledge. The traditional topics of methods courses (e.g., demonstrations, laboratories, classroom management, assessment, developmental psychology, etc.) can be addressed within the context of The Teaching Cycle. In particular, the traditional pedagogy topics (e.g., demonstrations, classroom management, assessment, etc.) can be placed within a repeating cycle of: GOAL SETTING › MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT AND SELECTION › PEDAGOGY › ASSESSMENT › REFLECTION For example, beginning teachers are first provided with an introduction to the depth and breadth of a topic as described in the National Science Education Standards and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy. A specific benchmark or standard can be selected for instruction and the student is engaged in the various aspects of The Teaching Cycle as instruction is planned, implemented, assessed, and then followed with reflection. Examples of various materials and activities for use in the lesson are provided and evaluated (pros and cons) in terms of their match with the specific instructional goal. At this point, the beginning teacher is asked to consider their students, their background knowledge, and what approaches would best facilitate achievement of the stated goal. Periodically, the preservice teacher should be directed to various instructional methods (e.g., demonstrations, laboratories, discussions, etc.) that may be of use in the planning of the lesson. In each case, the pros and cons of the various pedagogical approaches are addressed. Over the full range of subject matter concepts and themes included in the elementary science curriculum, all of the traditional methods topics can be addressed in depth. This approach to teacher education is unique, and is designed to directly address the perennial problem of transfer and application of methods topics to classroom instruction. By situating instructional methods in a relevant context (i.e., teaching of specific concepts/themes), it is believed that professional development of beginning teachers will be enhanced and transfer will be facilitated. Format of Session: The format of the session will be highly interactive with participants given an opportunity to discuss the challenges and successes of educating beginning elementary teachers in science. In addition, participants will have a chance to participate in The Teaching Cycle approach as it would be used in an elementary methods class. All participants will receive sample materials from a methods textbook that has just been published using this approach.
High Stakes Assessment: What will the new NCLB-mandated tests for K-8 students mean for mathematics teaching in Illinois? Carolyn Narasimhan, DePaul University and Philip Wagreich, University of Illinois at Chicago This session is organized as a panel discussion on the Illinois Assessment Framework that was announced by the ISBE late in 2003, addressing: Panelists will include representatives from the math and math education communities and, possibly, from the ISBE. March 12 Plenary Sessions Improving Mathematics Teaching: Lessons from the TIMSS 1999 Video Study Jim Hiebert, Robert J. Barkley Professor of Education, University of Delaware Analyses of eighth-grade mathematics teaching in six higher-achieving countries around the world showed a wide variety of teaching methods. Some of the differences among countries were along dimensions that we often consider critical for high-quality instruction. But the highest achieving countries shared a few features of instruction that distinguished their methods from ones commonly used in the United States. These features appear to be equally important at all levels of mathematics teaching, including teacher preparation, and identify well-defined targets for improvements in U.S. classroom practices. Teaching About Thinking Peter Facione, Provost, Loyola University Chicago What do we know about students' critical thinking skills and dispositions? As teachers, how might we teach not only students, but parents, administrators, and education policy makers more about critical thinking, what it is and why it counts? Engaging videos, slides, and open Q&A provide the format for the post-prandial conversation. March 12 Breakout Sessions The schedule of the breakouts is subject to change. Please check your program at the symposium to confirm the time and room of the breakouts Breakout Session I 2:45 - 3:35 PM Improving Mathematics Teaching: Applying Lessons from the TIMSS 1999 Video Study to Educational Practice James Hiebert, University of Delaware One feature of teaching that distinguished the methods of higher-achieving countries from the methods commonly used in the United States shows particular promise as a target for improvement because it aligns with accepted theory and data in education and psychology, and because it is consistent with many current recommendations in mathematics education. This feature will be explored by using video clips from the TIMSS 1999 study and by drawing on additional resources, including audience discussion. Applications to teaching and teacher education will be considered. COUNTDOWN.luc.edu: QuickTime movies and materials to support your teacher preparation program Diane Schiller, Mary Charles, and Dorothy Giroux, Loyola University Chicago This new web site is devoted to effective mathematics instruction. By watching QuickTime movies (short 4-7 minute digital video clips), teacher preparation candidates have an opportunity to see how they might present important mathematics topics. The off camera voices in the movies are those of elementary school students who phoned in to participate on the original live television program. Discussion will focus on how this resource might be used for teacher preparation for standards based instruction. We will look at 5 categories of films: computer integrated instruction (Prime Numbers on the Computer); vocabulary development (Mean Vocabulary); games and riddles (Integer Card Game: Go for Zero); direct instruction (Probability Using the Alphabet); and problem solving ( ISAT Grade 8 algebra problem). After we watch each film, participants will have an opportunity to provide feedback and suggest topics for new shows. At the end of the session we hope to generate ideas for expanding the use of the web site as well as brainstorm content for next season’s programming. Math and Science at the Zoo Debra Moss and Richard Cummo, Lincoln Park Zoo This session highlights the math and science possibilities for all grade levels in the multi-sensory, hands-on environment of Lincoln Park Zoo. At the end of the session we expect participants to have a greater understanding of how to use zoo exhibits to reinforce their math and science curricula, as well as some specific ideas for student activities. We also expect to provide participants with insights into how we select certain exhibits as most appropriate for different grade levels. This is an opportunity for those who teach undergraduate pre-service students about science instruction as well as for those who teach science content. The classes we have developed for zoo programming emphasize interactions between students and teachers. In a similar fashion, this session will be highly interactive. Participants will be able to work together, engaging in some of the same math and science activities that we facilitate at the zoo: to learn about the science of animal behavior by practicing data collection and analysis, to compare cow vs. goat with respect to their food consumption/milk production ratio and to use a Venn diagram to compare the stages in a chicken’s life cycle. The Gateway Science Workshop Program at Northwestern University: Program and Perspectives Bettina Chow and Annette Munkeby, Northwestern University The Gateway Science Workshop program provides supplementary workshops for Northwestern University undergraduate students to take in conjunction with introductory courses in math, engineering, biology, chemistry, and physics. Open to all interested students, the program organizes participants into small groups of five to seven, each led by a peer facilitator who has previously excelled in the course. The facilitators’ focus is on bringing students together to work on challenging, conceptually based problems that stimulate a deeper level of understanding of the subject matter. The focus of this session will be to give an overview of the Gateway Science Workshop program and share the experiences of the program’s key participants: students and faculty. Updates on new developments in the Gateway Science Workshop program and evidence of program impact will be given. During this session, a faculty and a facilitator will share their perspectives and experiences as participants in the program. The audience will be invited to join in a discussion about the program. Breakout Session II 4:00 - 4:50 PM
Teaching For Thinking Peter Facione, Loyola University Chicago This fun break out session demonstrates the easy use of an interactive pedagogical techniques to engage people of all ages in the actual use of their critical thinking skills and dispositions. Participants will have the chance to analyze, interpret, explain, and reflect on the thinking engendered by video materials drawn from easily accessible popular culture sources. Northeastern Illinois University’s NASA/UNCF Project: An Interdisciplinary Team Approach to Improving Students' Learning Karen Bartels, Veronica Curtis-Palmer, Richard Delzenero, Ana Fraiman, and David Rutschman, Northeastern Illinois University This breakout session is designed for groups and individuals who are beginning collaboration on an interdisciplinary project, or who are thinking about organizing such an effort. In this session, faculty from the Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) Project “Infusing Space Science Into a Science Core Curriculum Through a Community of Scholars” will briefly discuss the goals, objectives and activities of their project, along with a candid review of their accomplishments and challenges. The major portion of the session will be devoted to encouraging participants to think about and discuss pertinent issues and strategies that are inherent to the process of interdisciplinary collaboration and to building a successful team. Techniques used in the breakout session will model effective teaching strategies that are being implemented by the NEIU team. NEIU is a state university, federally-designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution, with a diverse population of about 12,000 commuter students in Chicago. Funded by a Curriculum Improvement Partnership Award from NASA and the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation, a group of eleven faculty at NEIU were invited to participate in a three-year project with the overall goal of increasing the number of students majoring in the physical sciences and mathematics by improving the teaching and learning in their courses. The objectives include professional development and curriculum improvement to increase student satisfaction and outcomes in their coursework, thus leading to greater enrollment and higher rates of retention in the four disciplines (Chemistry, Earth Science, Mathematics and Physics) included in the project. The emphasis on interdisciplinary teaching using relevant space science topics enhances the courses taught by project participants, and encourages students to make connections among the different sciences and mathematics. Faculty employ teaching strategies that actively engage their students in learning. Handouts of selected materials created by the NEIU team will be provided. Participants in the session will come away with some strategies for initiating and building interdisciplinary teams. A Multi-modal Approach to Teaching Muscle Anatomy Patricia B. Ahrens, Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Often a student of anatomy spends hours of time memorizing massive amounts of material. This is particularly true when students start learning muscle names along with the locations of the origins and insertions. While some memorizing is an unavoidable part of learning such content, health professionals seldom use anatomical information outside the context of a real world application. I believe that student learning is enhanced when students engage course content in situations where they encounter real world problems. Student learning is further enhanced when they utilize multiple learning modes. To that end, I place students in the role of a high school science teacher who is asked by one of the high school coaches to help design a strength building program for a particular sport. The students work in a team to select a sport; analyze the muscles that are utilized during that sport; decide which muscle actions would need the greatest strength; and, choose strength building exercises based on the equipment commonly found in our school fitness center. Finally, the students give a class presentation that includes the muscle names and actions along with the strength building program. This type of multi-modal exercise allows students to relate course content to real world problem solving. Students learn muscle anatomy through reading, writing, kinesthetic experience, speaking, and listening. The break-out presentation will walk participants through this activity and emphasize the multi-modal nature of the learning experience. Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: using teaching activities to deepen mathematical understanding revisited Judith Sallee, Harper College and Bonnie Saunders, UIC How can undergraduate instruction help preservice teachers to understand the mathematical knowledge that will be required of them when they become teachers? During the February symposium, the presenters shared with break-out participants activities they used to place the students in "teaching situations," where such knowledge is needed. The focus of the session was on the explanation of "how" they used peer-grading of homework, individual presentation of problems, and scenario exam questions. Participants in this session will continue the discussion. However, the focus will be on "why" they use these activities and on exploring ways "teaching situations" might be used to promote the "conspiracy" approach in mathematics education advocated by Deborah Hughes Hallett in her February keynote address. Participants in this session will examine some teaching scenario problems for mathematical content and will work in small groups to develop other potential "conspiracy" opportunities for students. Presenters will create and disseminate a collection of the problems discussed. May 3 plenary Sessions PLTL: A student-faculty partnership for transforming the learning environment Pratibha Varma-Nelson, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) provides students with opportunities for intellectual and personal development as well as a restructuring of their content knowledge. This approach preserves the lecture and introduces a new structure, a weekly two-hour workshop where students interact to solve problems under the guidance of a trained peer leader, a student who has done well in the course previously. Each weekly PLTL workshop centers around carefully constructed problems and activities selected by the instructor to address common misconceptions and develop conceptual understanding. An overview of PLTL will be presented. Recruitment and training of leaders, evaluation of the method, issues surrounding implementation and adaptation of the model will be discussed as well. How Mathematics Can Improve Your Image Rhonda Hughes, Bryn Mawr College In recent years, Hollywood has helped mathematicians convince skeptical students that the notoriously unglamorous field of mathematics is almost fascinating (or at least done by fascinating people). Nevertheless, most mathematicians continue to struggle with the bewilderment of their students, friends and family about their life's work. This talk is one mathematician's view of the challenges faced and strategies employed in imparting to her students the lure of mathematics.
May 3 Break-out Sessions Please note that there may be changes made to the schedule of the breakout sessions. The final schedule and rooms for the sessions will be available at the symposium. Breakout Session I 2:45 - 3:35 pm PLTL: The student view Pratibha Varma-Nelson, Ingrid Leal, Alanzo, Colleen Budziak, Jim Mahoney, and Erin Straky, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago Students who have served as peer leaders will lead participants through a mini PLTL workshop. This session will provide an opportunity to discuss with the students their experiences with this model and ask questions about the training and preparation involved to be successful team leaders.
The Gateway Science Workshop Program at Northwestern University: Problems & Challenges Annette Munkeby, Northwestern University At the March 12th symposium, members of the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence at Northwestern University presented a session on the Gateway Science Workshop (GSW) program. The goal of the session was to discuss the GSW program and to present the perspectives of faculty and students who are involved in the program. In the upcoming May session, we would like to invite both attendees from the March session and new attendees to discuss GSW programming challenges along with programming challenges that others face in their own programs. Topics will include recruitment of minority students, facilitator training and dissemination of the program to other universities. Attendees of this interactive session will be invited to share their ideas and experiences.
Addressing developmental math learning needs through inquiry-based pedagogy and clinical practice Steve Cohen, Roosevelt University At Roosevelt University, we have begun to use an Inquiry-based pedagogy in some of our sections of MATH 099, Introductory Algebra, in order to help students develop their ability to learn mathematics independently. At the same time we have identified a need to provide more opportunities for clinical experiences for our pre-service teachers of Secondary and Middle School Mathematics. We are in our second year of having students, who are enrolled in Michelle Nielson's section of SEED 323 Methods of Teaching Middle-School and Secondary Mathematics, involved with teaching Andy Carter's section of MATH 099 using an Inquiry-based pedagogy. Some preliminary assessment results will be presented. Participants will be able to try out an example from Diana Underwood's Beginning Algebra: An Inquiry Approach (Underwood & Dubec, 2003*), examine the role of the instructor using Inquiry-based pedagogy, and discuss collaborative ways to provide clinical experiences for pre-service teachers.
Breakout Session II 4:00 - 4:50 pm Enhancing Diversity in Mathematics and Science Education Diana Campbell, EDGE Program Coordinator, and Rhonda Hughes, Bryn Mawr College For over a decade, Spelman and Bryn Mawr Colleges have collaborated on two major projects and several smaller initiatives in order to increase significantly the participation, retention, and ultimate success of women and minority students in the mathematical sciences. The most recent effort is the EDGE Program, now in its seventh year of operation. The goal of this session is the identification and dissemination of strategies that enhance diversity in both mathematics and science education. The following points are offered in order to initiate discussion: · What strategies promote the development of women? Of students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds? · What constitutes effective mentoring? · What is a "good" student, and how should success be measured? · What is/should be a department's investment in its students? · How can successful paradigms be replicated and disseminated? · What is the role of "accumulated advantages" and confidence building in the science education of women and students from minority groups? · Should the "culture" change in order to foster diversity?
Evaluation of Chicago Math Science Initiative university-based teacher professional development courses Stacy Wenzel, Director UIC CMSI Evaluation Project, University of Illinois at Chicago, Representative from Chicago Public Schools (to be determined), and Lois Trautvetter, Coordinator of Higher Education Administration and Policy, Northwestern University The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and its seven partner institutions are currently engaged in providing university-based professional development courses for practicing CPS elementary school teachers of math and science. This initiative has been pursued beginning in 2000 with NSF support and is now continued as one aspect of the Chicago Math Science Initiative (CMSI) with multiple funding sources. Courses are currently organized within CPS-approved programs that will move teachers toward becoming more qualified to teach math and science classes. The graduate credit courses aim to facilitate learning about math or science content, pedagogy, and how students learn. The extent to which teachers learned and applied their learning to their own classrooms is a focus of the evaluation. During this presentation, we will present a brief description of this professional development effort and offer initial findings from the external evaluation of this initiative. An interim report on the evaluation of this effort will be available as will hand-outs on the presented information. Session attendees will then be engaged in discussion considering their own current and potential work with practicing and future teachers, and how they may contribute to educating teachers. In addition, comments by attendees may provide insightful feedback to the evaluator and the leaders of this CMSI project.
Reading and Math as Parts of Integrated Curriculum Victoria Appatova and Barbara Phillips, University of Cincinnati Reading classes paired with Mathematics have been taught to undergraduate students at the University of Cincinnati for 20 years. These Effective Reading classes are designed for freshmen who take Intro Algebra I and Intro Algebra II (approximately, the level of 7th through 10th grades). Research showed that paired reading classes can improve math students’ performance and retention. In spite of very encouraging statistics, paired reading classes were small and the unified curriculum needed to be developed. In April 2002, an interdisciplinary program between the Language Arts and Math Departments of the University College was proposed and developed. The main goal of the new program is to significantly increase the effectiveness of math courses through paired reading classes that provide effective learning tools for math students. Since fall 2002, paired reading has become mandatory for students with low math and reading scores on the placement tests. The following has been done to significantly impact the effectiveness of math courses: (i) new guidelines for mandatory placement in paired reading classes have been generated; (ii) day-to-day cooperation between Math and Reading faculty has been established and coordinated; (iii) incoming reading instructors have been trained on a routine basis; (iv) a bank of new course materials has been created; (v) nationwide contacts have been established with other interdisciplinary programs, and (vi) the program efficiency has been preliminarily evaluated through statistical analysis. The co-presenters will demonstrate specific examples of integrating reading and study strategies into teaching undergraduate Math courses. In the presentation, the short-term and long-term goals of the Math and Paired Reading program will be discussed. The data on the program efficiency evaluation will be presented. Packets of newly developed teaching materials will be made available to the audience. |