Hybrid Courses for Preparing Elementary Mathematics Specialists

Post-secondary education has seen an explosion of interest in computer-supported collaborative learning as a pathway for teacher education. Hybrid courses potentially provide broader access to coursework while keeping costs manageable. In this chapter, the authors report on the iterated design and implementation of hybrid courses designed to prepare teachers to become elementary mathematics specialists. The authors describe a framework for building face-to-face and synchronous online sessions that complement each other, while attending to community building, the exploration of mathematical and pedagogical content, as well as the development of leadership skills and tools. They discuss how they have addressed the challenges of online coursework in their evolving course design. They present their successes and how they have capitalized on the opportunities these successes offer, and they conclude by synthesizing the lessons they have learned, the implications of our work, and the recommendations they have for moving forward.

Developing the Pedagogical Capabilities of Elementary Mathematics Specialists during a K-5 Mathematics Endorsement Program

This mixed-methods study explored the pedagogical practices of Prospective Elementary Mathematics Specialists (PEMSs) as they completed a university K-5 Mathematics Endorsement program. Participants were 13 elementary teachers at an urban, high-needs charter school. Data were collected via individual interviews, written reflections on enacted teaching practices, two observations of classroom teaching practices, and a 36-item Cognitively Guided Instruction Teacher Knowledge Assessment. The findings show the PEMSs were connecting their learning during program courses with instructional practices in their classrooms, as 85% were implementing standards-based learning environments (SBLEs) at a high level, with the classroom event of providing their students opportunities to make conjectures about mathematical ideas as a relative struggle. The PEMSs described pedagogical shifts across the program, providing insights into these changes, along with how particular program components contributed, with the emergent themes of skepticism, trying it on, shifters, and need more support.

Developing Teacher Leaders Through Self-Study

Effective mathematics specialists require opportunities to apply knowledge from their advanced preparation programs to their practice. Just as pre-service teachers engage in field experiences to practice instructional strategies, in-service educators should engage in field experiences to apply leadership knowledge and skills while under the supervision of an experienced and highly-qualified teacher educator. This chapter describes the culminating self-study field experiences in a masters-level advanced certification program which prepares in-service teachers to be K-8 mathematics specialists. Through collaboration with critical friends, the mathematics specialist candidates connected research to practice in the design and implementation of a self-study project. Their work chronicled an important transformation from teachers to teacher leaders. The candidates also described their interest and their new capacity to conduct research beyond their certification programs for the purposes of impacting teacher and student learning within their organizations.