Studying Classroom Teaching as a Medium for Professional Development Proceedings of a U.S.-Japan Workshop (2002) / Chapter Skim
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Background Context for Teacher Preparation in the United States and in Japan
Background Context for Teacher Preparation in the United States and in Japan
Pages 19-46
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From page 19... ...
Elementary Mathematics Education in the United States Deborah Schifter, Senior Scientist, Education Development Center Mathematics Teacher Education in Grades 7-12 in the United States Zalman ~ Usiskin, Professor of Education and Director of the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project, University of Chicago A Study of Teacher Change Through Inservice Mathematics Education Programs in Graduate School Keiko Hino, Associate Professor, Nara University of Education Keiichi Shigematsu, Professor, Nara University of Education Recurrent Education in Japan: Waseda University Education Research and Development Center Toru Handa, Mathematics Teacher, Waseda University Honjo Senior High School Recurrent Education in Japan: Kanagawa Prefectural Education Center Mamoru Takezawa, Mathematics Educator, Kanagawa Prefectural Education Center
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From page 21... ...
Nor is teacher education or assessment a matter of national policy. Instead, each of the 50 states has its own policies in such matters as teacher certification and curriculum, and in some states, curriculum decisions are actually left to local school districts or even individual schools.
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From page 22... ...
As a consequence, most teacher preparation programs determined by state certification requirements generally offer one or two courses in the teaching of mathematics (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995; America Federation of Teachers, 1997; Ingersoll, 19981. Some also require that prospective elementary teachers take at least one mathematics course, while others have no such requirement.
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From page 23... ...
NCrM is a professional organization of mathematics educators whose work is mainly conducted by volunteers and supported by a full-time staff. The first three NCrM documents set out standards for curriculum, teaching, and assessment respectively: Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics,1989; Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics, 1991; Assessment Standards for School Mathematics, 1995.
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From page 27... ...
Finally, they must do all this while keeping up with comparable (levelopments in the teaching of literacy, science, and social studies. And yet there exists no coherent teacher education and professional development infrastructure to support these efforts.
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From page 28... ...
To un(lerstan(1 the picture of mathematics teacher education, it helps to have knowle(lge of the mathematics curriculum at the secondary school level. There has never been a national curriculum in the United States.
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From page 29... ...
In this 1970s curriculum, there was some algebra and geometry in eighthTABLE 1 Typical Curriculum for High School anc! First Year of College, 1950 Grade Content 7th 8th 9th 1 0th 11th 12th College Arithmetic Arithmetic First-year algebra Geometry Seconcl-year algebra Solicl geometry; trigonometry with logarithms Analytic geometry; first-semester calculus SOURCE: NACOME, 1 975.
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From page 30... ...
Currently about two-thirds of all high school graduates complete the equivalent of Ilth-gra(le mathematics Grade Content 6th 7th 8th 9th 1 0th 11th 12th College Arithmetic or first-year middle school mathematics Arithmetic or seconcl-year miclcl~e school mathematics Prealgebra or thircl-year middle school mathematics First-year algebra or first-year integrated mathematics Geometry or seconcl-year integrated mathematics Seconcl-year algebra or thircl-year integrated mathematics Precalculus Calculus BACKGROUND CONTEXT FOR TEACHER PREPARATION
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From page 31... ...
In virtually all states, a teacher with elementary school certification was consi(lere(1 to have enough mathematics backgroun(1 to teach the mathematics in these gra(les. A generation ago at gra(les 9-12, even in fine high schools there were mathematics teachers who taught nothing beyond first-year algebra.
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From page 32... ...
In all 50 states, there is elementary school certification, usually for gra(les K-S, anti secondary school certification requirements, usually for grades 7-12 or 6-12. In 30 of the states, there is a special certification to become a middle school mathematics teacher, always covering gra(les 7 anti ~ anti usually covering other grades, sometimes going down to grade 5 or up to grade 9 (Blank and Langesen, 19991.
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From page 33... ...
This graduate work may be in education or in counseling or in psychology or in mathematics education or in any number of other areas. Thus, many and perhaps most experienced mathematics teachers have strengthened their backgrounds with some courses designed for experienced mathematics teachers, or filled in their backgrounds with courses in mathematics, statistics, or computer science no more difficult than undergraduate mathematics courses.
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~ look forward to our work here as suggesting ideas for helping to improve mathematics teacher education anti helping to meet the challenges of teaching mathematics in a new century.
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. ~5 i.C'0 Keiko Hino and Keiichi Shigematsu, Nara University of Education Our topic is on Japanese teacher preparation for inservice preparation in graduate school.
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From page 36... ...
With respect to the second purpose of our research characterizing the school teacher's change, we found that a teacher's growth in mathematics takes place in four phases. Phase one is consideration of their own teaching practice; teachers have to be aware of the framework for their own teaching practice.
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From page 37... ...
Activities Reviewing recorded materials on his lessons Taking lectures in graduate schools Having discussions with various people Phase 1 Confrontation with Mr. A's implicit view of mathematics teaching 1 Taking lectures in graduate school Having discussions with various people Teaching practice in the club activity in his school | Phase 2 Seeking alterrnative views of mathematics teaching l Lesson practices along with successive observation of experienced mathematics teacher's class Having discussions with various people Construction of the framework in his master's thesis study Presentation of the framework in meetings and conferences Phase 3 Concretizing the alternative view by querying the ideal of mathematics teaching and key words for approaching this .
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From page 38... ...
Mathematics teachers' teaching practices are construed as the ability that enables teachers to conduct activities such as: · Prelesson: To organize and transform content knowledge along with the purpose. To have the "eyes" to evaluate the result of such a process.
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From page 39... ...
Alder: February 15, 2000, at a junior high school first-graders' class. · Observers: 5 persons (2 university instructors, 1 high school mathematics teacher, 2 graduate students)
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From page 41... ...
After (°/0) Many of his lessons go with textbooks Materials are ohen used in his lessons I ask him questions frequently Pace of his lessons seems fast Frequently students attempt to first solve the problem by themselves We ohen have a discussion Two teachers have taught me a lesson I write the lesson summary with my own words 100 o 67 83 100 17 o 25 80 20 ~0 20 100 60 o 60 NOTES: Fewer students feel that the pace of his lessons is fast.
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From page 43... ...
Our preliminary findings indicate that we can see similar improvements in teaching practices and professional development based on the fact that the teachers need to have an open min(l, identify and recognize their shortcomings and areas for improvement and be walling to try to cope with the changes. The responsibility of the graduate school is to help teachers tackle those issues and challenges.
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From page 44... ...
In 1996, Waseda University Education Research and Development Center launched this program. Since then, four or five days in August are dedicated to this seminar, with about ten courses.
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From page 46... ...
One of the issues is that many of the better mathematics teachers are using computers. They will receive a license for information technology, anti when they are ready to teach it, the number of goo(1 mathematics teachers will be (leplete(l.
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