Teacher Quality Grants: High Schools, Community Colleges

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Teacher Quality Grants High Schools, Community
Colleges Universities, a perspective

• G. Donald Allen, TAMU
• Sharon Sledge, SJCC

Seamless Transitions, March 28-30, 2005
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Outline

• Teacher Quality Grant Type A, overview of the
  team and technology
• Relations between partners
• Getting the right content at the right level
• Technology developing, teaching, training,
  using
• Conclusion Recommendations

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Teacher Quality Grant Type A, overview of the
team and technology

• The collaboration origins
• The Type A grant process
• The Type B grant practice

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The Collaboration University ?Community College
?K-12

• ICTCM pre-sessions technology focus
• ICTCM summer workshops technology in the
  classroom
• Teacher Quality Grant Type A materials
  development
• Teacher Quality Grant Type B professional
  development

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Type A - Pre-Calculus Components

• Content
• Videos
• Interactivity
• Assessment
• Rubrics
• Activities
• Signature activities

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The Authoring Team

• Texas AM University
• San Jacinto Community College
• Houston Community College
• College Station ISD
• Pasadena ISD
• Aldine ISD

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The Authors
G. Donald Allen, Texas AM University
animations, production, content modules,
workshops. Amy Austin, Texas AM University
content authoring. authoring, workshops,
mentoring tips and teaching strategies. Heather
Axelson, Texas AM University module design,
content authoring. Adrienne Bentz, Texas AM
University administrative assistant. Kathryn
Bollinger, Texas AM University content
authoring. Monica Bozeman, College Station ISD
video module production, virtual calculator
emulation, design. Oscar Chavarria, Pasadena
ISD reviewing, design, workshops. De-Vonna
Clark, Canyon ISD, Randall High School resource
authoring. Marcia Drost, Texas AM University
content authoring. Dianne Goldsby, Texas AM
University resources, trainer notes, mentoring
tips and teaching strategies, design. Mark
Hockman, Aldine ISD reviewing, workshops. Sarah
Janes, San Jacinto College - instructor/trainer
notes, ISD liaison, workshops. Susan Metalfe,
Pasadena ISD, liaison. Kathleen Walker Murrell,
Pasadena ISD reviewing, workshops. Diem Nguyen,
Bowling Green State University essays. Charles
Odion, Houston Community College assessments.
Marilyn Osborn, Channelview ISD liaison. Kevin
Nunn, Aldine ISD reviewing, workshops. Sara
Ptomey, Aldine ISD liaison. Michael Pilant,
Texas AM University - content development, HTML
integration. Mary Selcer, College Station ISD
video module production, virtual calculator
emulation, design. Sharon Sledge, San Jacinto
College - instructor/trainer notes, ISD liaison,
content modules, workshops. F. Michael Speed,
Texas AM University - video production,
training, tutorials Walter Stewart, Aldine ISD
reviewing, workshops. Granville Sydnor, San
Jacinto College - evaluation. Jennifer Whitfield,
Texas AM University module design, advisory,
content
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Teacher Quality Type B

• Emphasis
• Clarity of content for teachers!
• Examples of problems/content/activities the new
  teacher can use.
• Technology in the classroom how, why, what and
  when.
• The real role of technology to help the
  teacher!

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Teacher Quality Type B

• Challenges
• Teachers understanding content
• Mathematical misconceptions.
• Learning technology vs using technology
• Dominance of the curricula by the TAKS
• Teacher motivation
• Understanding K-12 issues

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Teacher Quality Type B

• Successes
• Clarifying mathematical ideas and improving
  teacher self confidence
• Clarifying what is required at the collegiate
  level
• Teachers giving formal presentations on using
  technology in the classroom
• Teachers developing technology interventions to
  aid their teaching

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Teacher Quality Type B

• Scoreboard
• 10 completely redefined what they will be doing
  with technology, have developed independent ideas
• 35 have clearer ideas of how to use technology
  and intend to use it
• 35 have less apprehension about the spectrum of
  technology available
• 20 no change

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Technology - I

• Excel
• Plotting software Maple, Winplot
• Graphing calculators
• Video capture
• Screen capture
• Digitization
• CBR
• Wacom tablet Tablet PC

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Technology II in the schools

• One several PCs in the classroom
• Large screen TV
• Graphing calculators
• PC-TV connections?
• Data projector
• Computer lab

Institutional and personal roadblocks to active
teaching with technology
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TVs Connection vs Resolution
The PC-TV connection
Can you read this?
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Technology - III

• Universities have expertise with math
  technologies, particularly with computers
• Community colleges and high schools have graphing
  calculator expertise
• Teachers are receptive to technology but it is
  difficult for them to implement it

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Graphing Calculators brief history

• Affordable graphing calculators arrive - 1980s.
• Colleges adapt engineering curriculum to use
  them.
• Schools follow by integrating calculators into
  the math curriculum.
• Universities abandon graphing calculators (mid
  90s).

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Teacher comments, observations

• Teachers like certain types of software
  determined by utility and ease of learning (e.g.
  video capture, plotting)
• Teachers are administratively compelled to use
  graphing calculators when they know they should
  be teaching more content.

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Teacher comments, observations

• Teachers need concept ideas on how to use the
  technology actual examples are best
• Teachers tend to prefer technology that may help
  them do their job in the traditional
  (transparencies) way.
• Math teachers are tremendously overloaded with
  non-math related tasks.

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Teacher Comments TECHNOLOGY
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PowerPoint
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Preparing for the PowerPoint presentations was
food for thought. The possibility of hooking
students thru technology was a plus. Because you
have the ability to move at the pace of the
student's learning ability.
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Digitizer
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digitizing pictures...a fun and learning
experience for me. I can only imagine how
beneficial it would be for the student.
Identifying math in the world... shapes and
making equations, widens the student's
perspective of the real world.
24
I am really glad for the chance to capture
digital images from picture files, digital
cameras, calculators, etc. My students are not
all responding to traditional teaching methods
and my school district is urging us to use more
hands-on methods
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Excel
26
Thanks for showing me the continued math uses of
excel. I never knew that it could do so much.
27
The use of Excel to show regression was great.
Then showing the same regression on the graphing
calculator just reinforced the concept.
28
I think the activity that we did using Excel was
excellent. I learned how to do things that I had
no idea of how to do before this workshop. I even
tried to do an activity of my own that involved
trig functions and parameter changes
(asin(b(x-c)) d)
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Camtasia
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I can see this (Camtasia) benefiting my class and
well as for the two students that I have on
homebound. Class presentations can be sent to
them and they are able to follow along with
verbal instructions from me and not from the HB
teacher that is not a math knowledgeable person.
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CBL/CBR
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I was one of the few teachers that used it in my
math department. I liked using it because it
caught the students interest -- they wanted to
"play" and make it work.
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Content I

• Universities have content experts but little
  knowledge in knowing what happens in the high
  school classroom.
• Community Colleges have a variety of levels of
  content expertise
• Developmental to Sophomore level teaching
  responsibilities

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• Community Colleges have a variety of levels of
  content expertise
• Developmental to Sophomore level teaching
  responsibilities
• High School faculty have pedagogical expertise
• Community colleges and Universities need to know
  more about pedagogy pedagogical content
  knowledge

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Content II

• Universities and Community colleges need to know
  more about high school curriculum
• TEKS
• Content Level
• Reteach/Retest
• High School Teachers need to know more about
  college curriculum
• Content Background Expectations
• Technology Expectations

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Content III

• Community Colleges are closer to high schools in
  culture, context and locality.
• Community Colleges serve as a bridge between high
  school and universities
• For students
• For faculty

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Teacher Comments CONTENT
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We discussed the different ways students look at
solving quadratics. We also talked about common
generalizations some students, teachers, and
publishers make concerning quadratics.
39
We did the activity where we linked series,
sequences, and sums with their appropriate
algebraic representation. It was a great
activity. I dont think I have ever so clearly
seen the connection - or at least it has been so
long since Ive looked at them that I dont
remember.
40
The discussion on evaluate vs. solve was
interesting. I got a lot of ideas about
presenting the idea of domain and range, evaluate
and solve.
41
I had never created rules for exponential
functions based on a table of values. I enjoyed
seeing how and why this process works.
42
This class has truly been a stretch back to high
school.
43
I found the problems mentally challenging. I
think too many of our math teachers were like me
when I came out of college-unprepared. I think
that we don't really understand all of what's
behind some of the higher level math.
44
Classes like this help us to learn more and
therefore, become better teachers of math.
45
I'm slowly coming out of my comfort zone
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Teacher Comments PEDAGOGY
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held a group discussion about using 2
continuity videos as classroom tools to
teach/review piece-wise functions being
continuous or not. Although this is beyond the
scope of my 9th graders, it is helpful to know
what they will be learning in years to come.
48
I think that as technology advances, teachers and
schools must advance, as well. So we really do
not have the option of not using every advance we
can. I see my district using this (Camtasia),
for all classes to view one presentation of one
teacher.
49
I think it's important to look at things in
different ways and hear other people's
perspectives. It opens your mind to
possibilities. I think we need to listen to our
students in the same way.
50
I had to think about the answers that I chose and
looked for ways to justify them. I especially
liked the fact that I got to discuss my answers
with a partner. I think that this is a good way
to make students aware of their peers thought
processes and to give credence to cooperative
learning
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Recommendations

• Lack of consistent notational usage for
  mathematical terms.
• Standard assessment instruments should be used
  across all TQ grants.
• A technology inventory should be available for
  each school/entity. Procedures for use clearly
  defined.
• Professional development should be required for
  teachers in content and technology and PCK

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Recommendations

• Components that teach teachers how students learn
  should be a part of TQ grants.
• Close the gap of technology expertise in HS, CC
  and Universities so students do not have that
  hurdle to face when attending college.
• Avenues for communication between HS, CC and
  University mathematics departments should be
  established

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Teacher Comments RECOMMENDATIONS
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Do I think I'll use this new tool for teaching?
Honestly, I like to use new tools and ideas in my
teaching but only if the school can make it
available because realistically I can't afford to
buy all the neat stuff that I might be able to
use in my classroom.
55
The technology at your fingertips on the podium
is absolutely awesome......can I have one for my
regular classroom?
56
the inverse converter is something I can use
with my students. seeing if I could schedule a
day around when it will be taught, to go into the
computer lab. They usually don't do that, but
since it'll be first semester and not in the
spring, I'm hoping to get into the lab.
57
I have been too used to dumbing down the material
to get most students to pass the class that they
did not learn enough to do well on national
assessments. I need to bring the lower students
up instead of bring the upper students down.
58
Finally I can say without a doubt that every
child I have can and will benefit from what I am
learning or being exposed to with them.
59
I had a great time working on PowerPoint. I would
really like to use it more in my class I need
more practice in order to become more comfortable
with it.
60
Today we discussed undefined and indeterminate
numbers. The discussion was very enlightening. I
am sure that I will use these same types of
questions to provoke true mathematical thought
processes from my students.