This paper examines how 17 secondary mathematics teacher candidates (TCs) in four university teacher preparation programs implemented technology in their classrooms to teach for conceptual understanding in online, hybrid, and face to face classes during COVID-19. Using the Professional Development: Research, Implementation, and Evaluation (PrimeD) framework, TCs, classroom mentor teachers, field experience supervisors, and university faculty formed a Networked Improvement Community (NIC) to discuss a commonly agreed upon problem of practice and a change idea to implement in the classroom. Through Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles, participants documented their improvement efforts and refinements to the change idea and then reported back to the NIC at the subsequent monthly meeting. The Technology Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework (TPACK) and the TPACK levels rubric were used to examine how teacher candidates implemented technology for Mathematics conceptual understanding. The Mathematics Classroom Observation Protocol for Practices (MCOP²) was used to further examine how effective mathematics teaching practices (e.g., student engagement) were implemented by TCs. MCOP² results indicated that TCs increased their use of effective mathematics teaching practices. However, growth in TPACK was not significant. A relationship between TPACK and MCOP² was not evident, indicating a potential need for explicit focus on using technology for mathematics conceptual understanding.

The present study investigated whether flipping an algebra classroom led to a stronger focus on conceptual understanding and improved learning of systems of linear equations for 54 seventh- and eighth-grade students using teacher journal data and district-mandated unit exam items. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to compare scores on three factors, analyze, model, and solve systems of linear equations. We found comparable statistically significant learning gains in both treatment groups. We found that the focus on conceptual understanding was similar in the flipped and control classrooms, and the learning gains were statistically significant and similar in both groups. Explicit attention to the substance of the at-home videos and in-class activities is needed to use the flipped classroom model to successfully shift the instructional focus from procedural to conceptual understanding.

This evaluation study examined a state-wide professional development program composed of two institutes, one for mathematics teachers and one for science teachers, each spanning two weeks. The program was designed to help teachers transform their practice to align with Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards. Data from this mixed-methods design consisted of observations, interviews, focus groups, institute documents and participant surveys. Participants experienced inquiry-based, content-specific, focused grade-band sessions, yet in some ways results indicated that the experiences fell short of having a potentially transformative effect on classroom teaching. The evaluation used a professional development framework to analyze how a seemingly well-designed program became disconnected from the participants’ classroom teaching experience. Recommendations focus on ways for policy-makers, school leaders and professional development facilitators to use the professional development framework to bridge gaps identified by the evaluation.

This paper describes how plan-do-study-act cycles engaged a classroom mentor teacher and student teacher in a professional collaboration that resulted in two inquiry activities for high-school geometry classes. The PDSA cycles were carried out in four high school geometry classes, each with 30 to 35 students, in a mid-Atlantic urban school district in the U.S. The four geometry classes were co-taught by the second and third authors of this paper. The data consisted of classroom documents (e.g., activity prompts, tasks), classroom observations, student feedback about activities, and monthly PDSA reports. The PDSA cycles had a direct effect on the professional learning of the teachers. The resultant classroom activities used a data collection approach to engaging students in inquiry to learn about trigonometry functions and density. Student learning behaviors were noticeably improved during these activities compared with traditional mathematics instruction. We concluded that the data collection sequence provided an accessible entry point for students to begin scientific inquiry in mathematics. The process opened the conceptual space for students to develop curiosity about mathematical phenomena and to explore their own research questions. The use of culturally relevant topics was especially compelling to students, and the open-ended nature of these exploratory activities allowed students to see mathematics through their own cultural lenses.

Meaningful discourse in the mathematics classroom involves creating a learning community that empowers students to articulate their reasoning and make sense of the contributions of their peers while advancing the learning of mathematics for the entire class. This study assessed the degree to which secondary mathematics (Grades 7–12) teacher candidates incorporated discourse into their lessons and the factors influencing their decisions. An explanatory mixed methods design was used, in which data were collected sequentially. Lesson videos were analyzed, followed by interviews of teacher candidates with high-discourse lessons. This study found that participants showed significant growth in their use of effective teaching practices from the beginning of the semester to the end of the semester, including mathematics discourse. The interviews revealed four contributing factors: intentional effort, learning experiences, professional relationships, and pedagogical knowledge. Understanding the experiences of teacher candidates during their own learning of mathematics, their mathematical identities, and beliefs about mathematics could help generate knowledge regarding the implementation of mathematics discourse and other reform-based practices in teacher instruction.

Background: The present study evaluated the quality of 1,165 scholarly literature papers about mathematics education technology literature. Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent to which mathematics education technology literature reports the information needed to support the scientific basis of a study. Setting: N/A Intervention: N/A Research Design: A systematic review was used to organize the data collection and analysis processes Data Collection and Analysis: A literature search was conducted to identify scholarly papers that addressed the use of technology in mathematics education. A coding process was developed to record descriptive information about each paper. The Quality Framework developed for this process provided a structure to identify key information across research types based on types of analyses conducted, assigning a certain number of possible points based on the type of research conducted. Findings: Dissertations accounted for a surprisingly high portion of the literature and research: 39.7% of the available literature and 57.0% of the research studies. The overall quality of the mathematics education technology literature was lower than we expected, averaging only 48.9% of the points possible. We noted that the quality of research papers, with respect to possible point values averaged 54.6% over four decades. For mathematics education technology researchers, manuscript reviewers, and editors, these results suggest that more attention is needed on the information being included and excluded from scholarly papers, especially with regard to connections to theoretical frameworks and research designs.