SUPPORTING
MATHEMATICS TEACHERS
IN THE UNITED STATES
AND FINLAND
PROCEEDINGS OF A WORKSHOP
Alexandra Beatty and Ana Ferreras, Rapporteurs
U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction
Board on International Scientific Organizations
Policy and Global Affairs
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
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This activity was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation (DRL-1445104). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-46589-2
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-46589-3
Digital Object Identifier: 10.17226/24904
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Copyright 2018 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Supporting Mathematics Teachers in the United States and Finland: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.172226/24904.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE ON SUPPORTING MATHEMATICS TEACHERS IN THE UNITED STATES AND FINLAND
KIRSTI HEMMI (Co-Chair), Åbo Akademi University
JANINE T. REMILLARD (Co-Chair), University of Pennsylvania
HYMAN BASS, University of Michigan
HEIDI KRZYWACK, University of Helsinki
ANNA-MAIJA PARTANEN, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi
JOHN STALEY, Baltimore County Public Schools
Staff
ANA M. FERRERAS, Senior Program Officer
PAMELA GAMBLE, Administrative Associate
U.S. NATIONAL COMMISSION ON MATHEMATICS INSTRUCTION
Leadership
JAMES ROZNOWSKI (Chair), Delta College, Emeritus
JOHN STALEY (Vice Chair), Baltimore County Public Schools
Members
JAMES BARTA, Mercer University
MARTA CIVIL, University of Arizona
SOLOMON FRIEDBERG, Boston College
MARIA HERNANDEZ, North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics
DEBORAH NOLAN, University of California-Berkeley
CHRIS RASMUSSEN, San Diego State University
PADMANABHAN (PADHU) SESHAIYER, George Mason University
Ex Officio Members
GAIL BURRILL (Past Chair), Michigan State University
PATRICK (RICK) SCOTT (BISO Liaison), New Mexico State University, Emeritus
Staff
ANA M. FERRERAS, Senior Program Officer
PAMELA GAMBLE, Administrative Assistant
BOARD ON INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS
Leadership
MICHAEL CLEGG (Chair), NAS,1 University of California- Irvine
PATRICK (RICK) SCOTT (Vice Chair), New Mexico State University, Emeritus
Members
ALLAN C. ASHWORTH, North Dakota State University
ASMERET ASEFAW BERHE, University of California-Merced
MELODY BROWN BURKINS, Dartmouth College
RONALD GRAHAM, NAS, University of California-San Diego
MARVIN HACKERT, University of Texas at Austin
KENNETH KELLERMANN, NAS, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
WING KAM LIU, Northwestern University
C. BRADLEY MOORE, NAS, University of California-Berkeley
KENNEDY REED, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
DONALD SAARI, NAS, University of California-Irvine
JEFFREY ZACKS, Washington University-St. Louis
Ex Officio Members
JOHN HILDEBRAND, NAS, University of Arizona-Tucson
Staff
KATHIE BAILEY, Director
ESTER SZTEIN, Assistant Director and Senior Program Officer
ANA M. FERRERAS, Senior Program Officer
LOIS PETERSON KENT, Senior Program Officer
PAMELA GAMBLE, Administrative Associate
CHELSEA BOCK, Program Coordinator
___________________
1 The National Academy of Sciences.
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Preface and Acknowledgments
As part of the U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction tradition of investigating how mathematics is taught and teachers are trained in other countries, the commission partnered with educators from Finland to learn more about Finland’s uniqueness and benchmark their best practices. While this is not the first time U.S. and Finnish mathematics educators have exchanged best practices, this workshop had a unique focus on teacher development in both nations in the context of new reforms in mathematics education. Taking advantage of the attendance of U.S. educators to the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education in Hamburg, Germany, on July 24–31, 2016, the U.S.-Finland workshop was held on August 1–2, 2016, at the University of Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland. The workshop was live streamed, which gave researchers, educators, policy makers, educational leaders, and school district administrators from around the world the opportunity to learn the latest practices and approaches in training mathematics teachers and educators in the United States and Finland.
This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity,
evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings: Gail Burrill, Michigan State University; Solomon Friedberg, Boston College; Niklas Koppatz, University of Helsinki; Aki Murata, University of Florida; Paivi Portaankorva-Koivisto, University of Helsinki; and Laura Salo, University of Helsinki.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by James Roznowski, Delta College. He was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the National Academies.
Contents
2 THE FINNISH EDUCATION SYSTEM
Context for Mathematics Education in the United States and Finland
Structure of the U.S. Public School System
Key Differences between the Finnish and U.S. Systems
4 TEACHER PREPARATION IN FINLAND
Structure of the Teacher Preparation System
Teaching Practice in Finnish Classrooms
5 TEACHER PREPARATION IN THE UNITED STATES
Example: Teacher Education at the University of Minnesota