Transforming K-12 Mathematics Classroom Teacher Pedagogy Through Virtual Number Talks

Number Talks is a popular K-12 mathematics routine utilized in classrooms across the United States. Number Talks allows teachers to elicit and respond to students' mathematical thinking through the development of an encouraging classroom community and provide opportunities for students to engage in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. In this chapter, the authors report their “virtualization” of the Number Talks routine and the development of a teacher learning cycle that supports implementation of this practice. The virtualization of Number Talks is illustrated through the pedagogical transformation of one teacher, who begins the teacher learning cycle skeptical of the value of Number Talks and ends with an innovative Virtual Number Talks practice that benefited both students and teachers in her school. This teacher's implementation of Virtual Number Talks and engagement in the “4C” of 21st century learning demonstrate a transformation of pedagogy that uses technology to create rich online mathematics learning experiences.

Transforming Teaching for Virtual Environments

This chapter describes pedagogical practices and teaching strategies with instructional technology used in an online summer course with preservice K-12 teachers. The course provided preservice teachers (PSTs) with experiences in using technology in K-12 classrooms from both students' and teachers' perspectives, engaged PSTs in active explorations of various K-12 curriculum topics using technology that could enhance high-impact teaching strategies, and supported PSTs in development of virtual lessons using instructional technology. The study identified effective practices with instructional technology to support preservice teachers' development of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) for their own online teaching. Study findings suggest that online immersive experience created a virtual student-centered space to nurture collaborative inquiry and that contributed to the growth of PST's TPACK. However, this experience also brought challenges and concerns for sustaining and transforming teaching and learning with instructional technology to an online environment.

Classroom Management, Lesson Planning, and Technology Integration . . . Oh My!

This chapter aims to share the results of a study of faculty in teacher preparation programs across the state of Texas to identify ways educator preparation has shifted its instruction as a result of COVID-19. Both quantitative and qualitative data results are shared, along with implications. The research provides some clarity regarding how future educator preparation programs and K-12 classroom teachers can adjust instructional practices as the shift to a virtual learning environment continues. The authors offer suggestions for best practices in virtual instruction for lesson planning, classroom management, and technology integration for K-12 teachers, as well as recommendations for teacher preparation programs to prepare pre-service teachers for successful implementation in those three areas while teaching in a virtual environment.

An Interactional and Aligned Educational Design Framework to Support Teachers' Pedagogical Reasoning

This chapter presents and problematizes a theoretical design framework for understanding and supporting teachers' pedagogical reasoning in online contexts. The framework synthesizes existing educational theories to illustrate how digital technologies can be used to create interactional and aligned educational designs and is therefore referred to as the IAED framework. The IAED framework can be used in teacher education and development programs, and by teachers, researchers, educational designers, and others. In the chapter, empirical examples and analysis are provided to illustrate and discuss how the IAED framework can be used to (1) support teachers' pedagogical reasoning and educational design practices, (2) evaluate existing educational designs and design practices, and (3) study educational designs and design practices, as well as (changes in) teachers' pedagogical reasoning.

Current Approaches in Teacher Learning on Digital Social Platforms

Within digital ecologies, teachers routinely find an abundance of information related to their teaching. While many teachers pursue brute force searches for online ideas and resources, during the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers had to address pressing new challenges in online teaching in the most efficient ways possible. This chapter reports on an ongoing study of 16 teachers and how they relied upon digital social platforms to make the move to online teaching. Analysis revolves around socially-distanced video-recorded interviews with these teachers. Given their limited time, teachers had to be selective about what they deemed useful and relevant to their immediate needs. Strategic uses of digital social platforms served to address some of those needs. Specific strategies observed in the data regarding the development of pedagogy included joining teacher collectives, accessing expert-like spaces, and finding pedagogical inspiration within posts by teacher-influencers.

Building Community in Online Learning Environments

This self-study assesses the impact on classroom communities using distance learning activities. Five activities used in the author's high school science classes during the COVID-19 pandemic are analyzed based on a bilateral framework interweaving transactional distance (student-teacher interactions) and social interaction (student-student interaction). A reflective narration of activity development leads to a discussion of the effects of activity design on student-teacher and student-student interactions. The intersection between these interactions serves as a foundation for analyzing their impact on the classroom community. A predominant theme is the psychological separation students face when learning remotely and how activity design can intensify or diminish this perceived detachment. This chapter provides an exemplar for other educators to consider how transactional distance and social interaction play a role in the development of their own classroom communities.

Mathematics, Social Structure, and Technology

This chapter provides insights gained from a collaborative action research project with university and middle school mathematics faculty. A categorical framework that considers the relationship between technology, mathematics content, and social interaction was used by the researchers to more deeply examine the varied uses and types of technology related to online teaching. In particular was the use of a relatively new category of software, Interactive Mathematics Classroom Builders, which integrates powerful mathematics tools with highly interactive classroom management features. The teachers found opportunities to try several novel uses of technology in their online lessons, advancing their teaching and the student experience, while learning lessons about teaching with technology that may apply to both remote teaching and the face-to-face classroom.

Using the Technology Integration Planning Cycle to Select Digital Tools for Virtual Instruction

This chapter explores the use of the Technology Integration Planning Cycle (TIPC) for supporting teachers' decision-making as they plan virtual instruction. The TIPC is designed to support teachers in evaluating the possible contributions of digital tools to instruction that facilitates meeting specific learning goals. The use of the TIPC to support pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, and in professional development settings is discussed. Then, examples of a teacher using the TIPC as she plans virtual reading and writing instruction illustrate the potential of the TIPC to support effective virtual instruction. Finally, issues of access, equity, and safety related to use the TIPC are discussed.

Developing Teachers' Knowledge for Teaching in Virtual Contexts

The 2020 worldwide pandemic signaled the COVID-19 crisis as a real threat and forced K-12 schools to move teaching and learning from face-to-face classrooms to online virtual classrooms. Educators searched for a silver lining amid the hardships created by the virtual teaching and learning environments. This chapter answers an important question: How has the knowledge that teachers need for teaching changed as a result of School Lockdown 2020-2021? Analysis of the chapters in this book in addition to extensive qualitative observations of two middle school virtual computer science classrooms over six months identified two important lessons needing consideration when requiring K-12 virtual instruction: (1) teachers' knowledge for teaching requires developing their technological pedagogical content knowledge for teaching in both face-to-face and virtual contexts, and (2) teaching virtually relies on a social presence that assures students' sense of belonging to engage in virtual learning experiences.

Promoting Higher Student Mathematics Achievement in Online Settings

This chapter describes how the authors structured effective online mathematics content courses for pre-service teachers (PSTs) using the promoting higher student mathematics achievement in online settings (PHiSMAOS) conceptual framework. This framework focuses on the mathematics teacher educator (MTE) view from which they are using their technological content knowledge (TCK) to develop their PSTs' own technological knowledge (TK), content knowledge (CK), and TCK when in an online mathematics classroom setting. The PHiSMAOS conceptual framework then wraps this reality in the concepts of growth mindset and productive struggle, providing a pragmatic way for MTEs to productively promote growth mindset in PSTs' mathematics content classrooms in online settings. This framework was developed using grounded theory research techniques from data consisting of exit cards, video-recorded discussions, assignments, and test scores across seven semesters of the authors' courses. Implications for MTEs, use in K-12 settings, and further research are also discussed.