Innovations in Mathematics, Science and Technology Teaching

1
Innovations in Mathematics, Science and
Technology Teaching

• Konrad Krainer
• 2008 MAV Annual Conference

2
Content

• Part 1
• The IMST Project
• Part 2
• Two teachers professional growth
• Part 3
• Summary and outlook

3
1. The IMST Project

• Double meaning of IMST
• IMST international (English) abbreviation
• Imst Town in Austria

4
Impulse for initiative and challenge

• Impulse
• Bad results in TIMSS (upper secondary)
• Research project IMST (1998-99) ? IMST
  (2000-2009 since 2007 also primary)
• Manifold reasons for bad results (not only
  teachers)
• Challenge
• Fragmentary education system (many initiatives)

5
Goals and intervention strategy

• Goal
• Raising the quality of learning and teaching in
  mathematics, science and technology
• Intervention strategy
• Supporting (groups of) teachers (schools,
  regions, universities, ) in their efforts to
  improve their practice (wherever they start from)
  
• Establishing Learning systems

6
Learning system
Autonomy

Reflection
Action
more !
Action research Constructivism System theory
Networking
7
Tailor-made support
8
What is good teaching?

• 10 tension fields of teaching, for example
• Pre-knowledge and target knowledge
• Basics and applications
• See e.g. Lernende Schule, issue 28 (2004)
  Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, vol.
  8.2 (2005)

9
Implementation and communication

• Network of people and institutions (AECC)
• Supporting intensively 50 to 150 projects (Fund)
• Providing extra PD activities (e.g. examination
  culture)
• Establishing networks as a distribution strategy
  e.g. 9 Regional (and 2 District) and 1 Gender
  network(s)
• Communication
• Website http//imst.ac.at (inkl. Wiki), quarterly
  Newsletter, annual 4-day-Conference

10
Evaluation and impact

• Process-oriented steering information for the
  staff (e.g. internal interviews)
• Outcome-oriented Effects at different levels
  (e.g. effects seen by teachers and principals)
• Knowledge-oriented Theoretical and practical
  knowledge about fostering innovations at
  different levels (e.g. interconnection between
  support given to Ts and Ts Ss motivation)
• Meta-evaluation by external experts

11
Example T and S-Questionnaire

• Müller, Hanfstingl Andreitz, 2007
• T felt supported by collegues and principal ? T
  assess their S as more motivated S (of these T)
  feel more intrinsically motivated.
• However, if T feel pressure ? Ts and Ss
  intrinsic motivation sinks.
• (Innovative) Teachers should not be left alone
  when trying to improve their practice! See
  example!

12
2. Two teachers professional growth

• Case 1 Gottfried (Case 2 Maria)
• Interest General feedback about his teaching
• Looking for Ss specific needs and problems
• Further development of an existing questionnaire
• Surprise Students have different view of working
  at the blackboard (? why?)
• -gt Detailed new questionnaire field notes

13
Case 1 Gottfried (continuation)

• Students work at the blackboard open learning
  environment versus feeling like a fool
  (class-mates)
• Errors Welcome versus should better not happen
• Positive experience gt collegial feedback from Ts
• Initiated mutual classroom visits (3 teachers)
• Two years after more students chose M in final
  exam better able to argue more clearly his
  viewpoint

14
Case 2 Maria

• Maria, same Secondary School (so far, no
  collaboration with Gottfried)
• Supported also by Helga Jungwirth
• Topic Using open learning in Trigonometry
• Transparencies used at her plenary-talk-contributi
  on at a GDM-conference

15
Starting points

• School year 2000 / 01
• Questionnaire on mathematics instruction
• Interviews with students
• Desire for open learning
• School year 2001 / 02
• Elaborating a new content with open learning
• Understanding difficulties when students work
  autonomously

16
Implementation

• 3 phases with different parts of contents
• Working in pairs after a working plan
• Elaborating new contents with working sheets
• Stabilizing and practicing with file-cards
• Audio-taping of students discussions
• Written feedback

17
Analysis

• Audio-taping
• Problems with reading texts
• Getting familiar with working method
• Working in pairs positive
• Written feedback
• Very positive
• Individual working pace
• Help in the case of difficulties
• More fun with open learning

18
Results

• Even weak students show high motivation
• Autonomous work has to be practiced
• Highly concentrated work
• Revealing observation of students learning was
  possible

19
Effects so far after 2 years

• Presentation of my project in a meeting of the
  schools mathematics group
• Two other math colleagues used my material in
  other 10th grade classes
• Change of experience with these colleagues
• Using open learning also this school year
  2002/03

20
Additional remarks on Case 2 Maria

• Maria resumed (2002) that several students came
  out of their shell and contributed to solutions
  in a more intensive way as they usually did when
  elaborating things with the whole class.
• Presentation of her results in a school board
  meeting (teachers, students, parents)
• Growing collaboration with Gottfried (group of
  three teachers mutual classroom visits)

21
The merging of the cases contributions to
school development

• The principal supported Gottfrieds and Marias
  work and made it visible to other teachers
• Mutual classroom visits and questionnaire for
  evaluating teaching became integrated into the
  two-year school development program
• Gottfried (2005 in Benke) In particular,
  young colleagues regard that as a chance to
  observe senior ones and to ask for further
  information.

22
Impacts on science teaching school development

• Gottfried and Maria listened to other
  IMST-teachers reports about laboratory
  teaching in science
• Effect at their school (Maria) Through that
  participation also others got somehow more open,
  we try out something new. Leaping over from
  math teaching to science teaching.
• A new subject (with lab teaching) was introduced
• Prinicipal Focus on evaluation/M gt sustainable
  SD

23
Progress Explanation

• Progress at different levels Indicators
• Students Choice of mathematics in their final
  exam, better achievements (G) successful
  argumentations and problem solving high
  motivation and satisfaction (M).
• Individual teachers Extended perspectives for
  teaching and assessing, higher self-confidence,
  better able to argue (G) more aware of conducive
  and hindering general conditions für students
  learning, setting priorities more consciously
  (M).

24
Indicators (2)

• Team of teachers Exchange of instructional
  material in M formation of peer-groups (mutual
  classroom visits) innovations lept over to
  science teachers, introduction of laboratory
  teaching
• School (as an organisation) Report in
  conferences and school board meetings
  questionnaire-evaluation and mutual classroom
  visits integrated in school development program
  (and in practice) new subject in science.

25
The theoretical perspective

• Assumption that
• social systems (society, educational system,
  school, classroom, student, )
• can be very different, but can be regarded
  through the lens of some general dimensions
• Social systems can be seen as learning systems
• when the interaction of the actor(s) within the
  system or with relevant environments are
  characterized by four closely interconnected
  dimensions

26
Learning systems 4 dimensions

• Attitude towards and competence in
• Experimental, constructive and goal-directed work
  (action)
• Reflective, (self-)critical and systematically
  based work (reflection)
• Autonomous, self-initiative and self-directed
  work (autonomy)
• Communicative and cooperative work with
  increasing public relevance (networking)

27
Learning system
Autonomy

Reflection
Action
more !
Networking
28
Learning systems background

• Action research Interplay between action and
  reflection (teachers/students as researchers)
• Constructivism Interplay between autonomy and
  networking (cognitiv and social construction of
  meaning)
• System theory Emphasis on considering relevant
  environments e.g. Willke Experts art of
  observation noticing a relevant difference
  (intervention making a relevant difference)

29
Lawrence Stenhouse (1975)

• Teacher professionality as
• capacity for autonomous professional
  self-development through systematic self-study,
  through the study of the work of other teachers
  and through the testing of ideas by classroom
  research procedures.

30
Focus (Marias) Students learning
T facilitator
31
(Marias) Students learning

• Action Reflection goal-directed activities
  incl. control of goals (by S and T) questions by
  S were given back to them (no explaining-action)
  . Autonomy Networking Autonomous learning
  process (hardly any direct T-input) exchange in
  groups S control attainment of goals.
• Altogether Role of a facilitator Increases S
  responsibility and gives T time for observation,
  reflection and individual help Individual
  learning, however, also jointly and examining
  critically.

32
Focus Teachers Learning (Maria)
Support by IMST
33
Teachers learning (Maria)

• Action Reflection goal-directed planning and
  evaluation data collection audio, Q and
  observation importance of data and writing.
• Autonomy Networking Profit from feedback by
  students. Analysis of her own situation, but also
  support by critical friends (two communities
  colleagues at her school, IMST-group/mentor).
• In addition Reading literature.
• Altogether Reflecting and communicating in three
  communities plus writing down her experiences.

34
Focus Schools Learning
Support by principal ( external feedback)
35
Schools learning

• Action Reflection M G offered a good
  starting point for reflection of all people
  concerned external feedback was helpful written
  feedback!
• Autonomy Networking M G offered a good
  starting point for collaboration of all people
  concerned autonomy support by principal.

36
Focus MAV 2008
MAV environment
37
3. Summary and outlook

• Altogether
• Synergy and widespread of two teachers
  well-planned activities,
• fostered through participating in an externally
  organised project and
• internal collaboration and support by the
  principal.
• Commitment with a national project and proudness
  that the initiative comes from math science,
• has become an opportunity to build a lasting
  infrastructure (IMST).

38
Summary and outlook (2)

• Promote learning systems!
• Doing innovation and evaluation (action and
  reflection).
• Important for oneself and others, forming and
  participating in internal and external teams,
  communities networks (autonomy and networking).
• If part of a larger (nation-wide) project
  collective learning of the whole educational
  system!