Project
2061’s IERI Study Examines Teacher Practice and Student
Learning in Mathematics
Paper Presented at
AERA Annual Meeting
A paper was
presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational
Research Association (AERA) April 12-16, 2004, in San
Diego, California, with a focus on a five-year Interagency
Education Research Initiative study that explores the
interactions of curriculum materials and professional
development and their effect on teachers' classroom
practices and on students' achievement in mathematics.
You can access the paper here.
Through a five-year study funded by the Interagency
Education Research Initiative (IERI), a joint
program of the National Science Foundation,
the Department of Education, and the National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development,
Project 2061 is helping to identify factors
that improve student learning in middle grades
mathematics. In partnership with the University
of Delaware and Texas A&M University,
Project 2061 is examining how curriculum materials,
teaching practices, and professional development
can best be coordinated to improve student
learning of key mathematics ideas and skills.
The study breaks new ground because it is one
of the first to take an integrated research
approach to the following questions:
- What is the relationship between the
use of research-based instructional strategies
and student learning of specific ideas
and skills?
- How does professional development and
ongoing support build teacher knowledge,
skills, and attitudes and lead to more
effective teaching?
- How
can technology help to provide effective
teacher professional development and
ongoing
support
cost-effectively on a large scale?
To collect valid data on how teachers use curriculum
materials, Project 2061 has developed a Web-based
computer program that allows researchers to
compare videotaped classroom lessons with
the same lessons as they appear in textbooks
that received high ratings in Project 2061’s
evaluation.
To measure what and how students are learning,
the study is using both state tests and specially
designed assessment items. Researchers can
also make judgments about whether the teachers’ lessons
meet criteria for good instruction, such as
helping students understand the purpose of
the lesson or providing a variety of examples
of how the concept or skill can be applied
in everyday life.
The study is also documenting the most effective
strategies and technologies for delivering
professional development and ongoing support
to teachers on a large scale. For example,
teachers in the study will be able to access
classroom lessons, along with materials such
as student work samples resulting from the
lessons, via the Internet. Ongoing technology-based
support makes online discussions possible
among teachers in widely separated schools
or districts.
Articles about Project 2061's IERI study
Future Forecasts
from
the ASCD Education Update
Solving the Equation: Project 2061 Studies Factors That Improve Student Learning in Mathematics (2002)
Tramontana, C.
Project 2061 Study Seeks to Improve Student Learning in Mathematics (2003)
Davis, S.
