Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE Journal)

Recent Issues

VOLUME 22 ISSUE 3

Title: Impacts of Microcredentials on Teachers' Understanding of Instructional Practices in Elementary Mathematics

Authors: Jennifer Borland, Adam Moylan, Anthony Dove, Matthew Dunleavy, & Vinod Chachra
Full Article

Microcredentials are a promising means for expanding teacher access to high quality professional development. This study examined the effectiveness of online, self-paced microcredential courses designed for teachers working in underserved rural communities. The content of these competency-based microcredentials centered on recommended instructional strategies from the What Works Clearinghouse practice guides of the Institute of Education Sciences. To examine the effectiveness of the microcredentials, teacher participants were randomly assigned to one of two microcredentials on elementary mathematics, one on teaching word problems and the other on teaching fractions. Participants (n = 573) completed the pre-post assessments for each course, and follow-up interviews were conducted with a subset of participants (n = 65). Results revealed both microcredential courses were effective in increasing participants’ knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices targeted in their respective microcredential. The authors suggest that online microcredentials present an accessible and affordable means for teacher professional development, especially in locations or situations where face-to-face professional development is challenging.

Title: Using a Framework to Develop Preservice Teacher Noticing of Students' Mathematical Thinking Within Technology-Mediated Learning

Authors: Nina G. Bailey, Demet Yalman-Ozen, Jennifer N. Lovett, Allison W. McCulloch, Lara Dick, & Charity Cayton
Full Article

Noticing students’ mathematical thinking is a complex, but important practice for preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) to develop. This practice is further complicated when secondary students use technology, as it requires the dual and interconnected attention to students’ mathematical thinking and the ways they engage with the technology as they are learning. The purpose of this study was to examine how explicitly sharing a framework for noticing students’ mathematical thinking in technology-mediated learning environments and providing opportunities for practice supported PSMTs’ noticing. Pre- and post-video-based assessments were used to examine changes in PSMTs’ noticing as a result of engaging with the framework. The findings of this study suggest that using this framework to support PSMTs’ development of the teaching practice of noticing students’ thinking has promise, especially related to coordinating students’ written and spoken mathematical thinking with their technology engagement.

VOLUME 22 ISSUE 2

Title: Elementary Teachers' Approach to Responsive Teaching in a Self-Regulated Mathematics Environment
by Anne Estapa, Denise Schmidt-Crawford, Andrea Ash, & Ercin Sahin
Full Article

Self-regulated learning (SRL) environments provide the context for students to have more control over their own learning and have the potential to greatly benefit students. However, more research is needed to understand how teachers approach their interactions with students in these settings and how teachers actualize effective teaching practices in SRL environments. This study was focused on responsive teaching as one type of effective practice. The researchers utilized teachers’ use of questioning as an indicator of responsiveness. Using content analysis, the researchers documented instances of questioning teachers used to build dialogic interaction. Focus was placed on understanding the extent to which teachers’ questions were responsive to students’ thinking within a blended SRL context. Findings suggest that teachers’ use of responsive questioning varied by person and context and were impacted by several factors: the teacher’s understanding of the goals and affordances of an SRL environment, classroom context and teaching approach, and lesson format (e.g., large group vs. individual). Based on the findings, the authors suggest that teachers’ understanding of SRL impacts the extent to which they use responsive teaching to interact with student’s self-paced instruction. In particular, teachers’ focus on conceptual (rather than procedural) goals in the SRL environment supports student thinking and agency.

VOLUME 22 ISSUE 1

Title: Representations of Practice Used in Mathematics Methods Courses
by Christine K. Austin & Karl W. Kosko
Full Article
This preliminary study explored how many representations of standard videos, animations/comics, and 360 videos are being used in mathematics methods courses to teach future teachers. Drawing on knowledge from prior studies on standard videos, this study aimed to address the gaps in literature to encompass other representations that are being utilized and obtained. Analyses show that standard videos are the primary medium being used to teach future teachers in math methods, followed by animations/comics, and then 360 videos. Findings suggest that teacher educators are more likely to use a medium that they are more familiar with than a medium with greater perceived usefulness. Further, findings indicate that teacher educators perceived usefulness and frequency of use as not related to their level of familiarity with all representation types, suggesting more factors are at play.

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 4

The Effects of Robotics Professional Development on Science and Mathematics Teaching Performance and Student Achievement in Underserved Middle Schools

by Alex Fegely, Joseph Winslow, Cheng-Yuan Lee & Louis J. Rubbo

Full Article

This article reports findings from an exploratory study investigating the effects of robotics professional development sessions in underserved middle schools in the southeastern United States. Eleven middle-level science and mathematics teachers from a high-needs school district received year-long training in robotics technology and instructional integration. Teacher-participants were evaluated on their problem-solving abilities, critical thinking strategies, robotics knowledge, content knowledge, and instructional design through teaching observations and pre/post robotics teaching competency surveys. Student performance was measured by comparing student-participants’ mathematics score growth on a standardized test against nationally normed control group samples. Results from teacher-participants (N = 11) indicated that they significantly improved their robotics teaching competencies and demonstrated measurable gains in numerous teaching performance indicators. Results from student-participants (N = 291) revealed they experienced mathematics growth at a higher percentage than their control group counterparts at each grade level. Sixth graders improved at a year change rate higher than the control sample to match the national norm mean on the posttest. Seventh graders experienced a year change rate and posttest mean far exceeding the control group that approached the national norm. Eighth graders improved at a year change rate that exceeded the control group but was beneath the national norm.

VOLUME 21 ISSUE 3

Comparison of Peer-to-Peer and Virtual Simulation Rehearsals in Eliciting Student Thinking Through Number Talks

by Carrie Lee, Tammy Lee, Daniel Dickerson, Ricky Castles, & Paul Vos

Full Article

Structures such as rehearsals have been designed within mathematics education to engage teacher candidates in deliberate practice of specific teaching episodes before enacting within classroom settings. Current research has analyzed traditional rehearsals that involve peers acting as K-12 students as the teacher candidate facilitates an activity; however, innovative technologies such as virtual simulation software—Mursion® (developed as TeachLivE™)—offer new opportunities to use student avatars in this context. This work explores the use of rehearsals within virtual simulations as compared to traditional rehearsals by using (nonpooled) two-sample, t-tests to compare changes in the control and comparison groups regarding their use of eliciting strategies. Similarity of the groups in how they develop eliciting strategies presents evidence that virtual simulations have the potential to provide comparable contexts for rehearsals. At the same time, the specific differences between groups prompts further examination of the contexts and patterns in discussion to better understand what is influencing differential change. 

Professional Development Supporting Teachers’ Implementation of Virtual Manipulatives

by Lindsay Reiten

Full Article

Supporting teachers’ implementations of technology in the classroom is a critical and longstanding issue in mathematics education. As access to various technology resources grows, a need exists for professional development opportunities that prepare teachers to integrate technology effectively to support students’ mathematical learning opportunities. Virtual manipulatives (VMs) are one technology tool receiving increased attention. Despite the benefits to student learning, secondary mathematics teachers use VMs less frequently than elementary teachers. Therefore, this study investigated a professional development opportunity aimed at supporting middle and high school mathematics teachers’ implementation of VMs. Findings indicate two tools (a repository of resources and a task analysis framework) supported teachers as they prepared to implement VMs and tasks. Additionally, teachers were further supported via time for active learning (teachers interacting with VMs related to their upcoming instructional units) and collaborative planning.