Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects

Date of Award

Summer 2012

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership (Ed.D)

Department

Teacher Leadership for Learning

First Advisor

Dr. Mary Gardner

Second Advisor

Dr. Wendy Sanchez

Third Advisor

Dr. Angela Blaver

Fourth Advisor

Dr. Kelly Edenfield

Abstract

Although the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) introduced standards intended to reform the teaching of mathematics in 1989, those reform-oriented practices have not saturated mathematics teaching. Mathematics teacher educators continue to work with pre-service and practicing teachers to more fully implement the reform practices as described by NCTM. At times, this can take the form of professional development schools (PDSs) in which mathematics teacher educators and practicing teachers collaborate to prepare pre-service teachers. Through a case study, three participants in a PDS setting were studied as they took part in the initial year of a secondary mathematics methods course and internship. One intern, his collaborating teacher, and the high school mathematics teacher who served as the methods course co-instructor were interviewed, observed teaching, and completed pre- and post-surveys on beliefs about the nature, teaching, and learning of mathematics. Data collection took place during the methods course and the first half of the student teaching semester. Participants’ beliefs, position of intellectual development and classroom discourse practices were examined for changes throughout the study. These constructs provided lenses through which explanation of the differing ways in which participants’ interacted with the PDS activities could be explored. Findings were connected to the Mathematics Teaching Cycle. Further exploration of such cycles can contribute to the development of trajectories for the learning of teaching mathematics and can be useful as frameworks in teacher preparation courses in which pre-service teachers are encouraged to develop as reform-oriented teachers.

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