Goals of Mathematics Teacher Educators for Prospective Teachers and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics

• In Event: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and Mathematics Teacher Education Programs: Current and Future Directions

Abstract

The wide-spread implementation of the CCSSM provides a unique opportunity to consider how mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) take up standards policies and what aspects of standards they see as important for PSTs. We report on findings from a national survey of MTEs and the influence of the CCSSM on their teacher preparation programs. We take up the specific question of MTEs’ goals for their prospective teachers (PSTs) with respect to the CCSSM.

Theoretical Framework

Our focus on goals adopts psychological and sociocultural perspectives. Goals help structure thought and the problem solving of individuals (Nasir, 2002); thus analysis of MTEs’ goals can suggest how MTEs are thinking about the needs of PSTs and the role of CCSSM. Goals are also an important link between society, culture, and thinking (Saxe, 1999), allowing us to consider how MTEs’ goals reflect their understanding of the CCSSM and its relationship to teacher preparation.

Methods and Data Sources
We used snowball sampling and received survey responses from 370 MTEs from 45 states about the influence of CCSSM on their teacher preparation programs. Survey participants taught a variety of teacher preparation courses including elementary, middle, and high school teacher preparation courses in both content areas and methods. The data analyzed for this report come from an open-response question, “What are your goals for your pre-service teachers with respect to CCSSM?”

Findings

Our preliminary findings suggest three themes. First, MTEs’ goals varied quite widely in terms of depth and variety of relationships to CCSSM. They ranged from wanting PSTs to be familiar with or read the document to engaging the PSTs in framing teaching through the lens of the CCSSM.

Second, 54% of MTEs indicated that PSTs should work with or become familiar with the practice standards as compared to 33% who indicated the importance of work with content. As one MTE explained, PSTs should, “recognize that the most important changes are not amongst the content standards, but rather the standards for mathematical practice.” This statement suggests that some MTEs are placing greater emphasis on the practice standards than on the content standards.

Finally, MTEs’ goals suggested a variety of purposes for the CCSSM, seeing it as a content map that could help PSTs make sense of relationships between mathematical ideas, as a rationale for teaching mathematics with understanding, as a measuring stick for evaluating curriculum, and as a policy document with political overtones. The majority of the MTEs hoped that their activities related to CCSSM would improve content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and instruction practice.

Significance

Our analysis shows that MTEs want their students to be aware of the CCSSM, but there is a wide range of goals beyond familiarity with the CCSSM. This range of responses adds evidence to the argument that mathematics teacher preparation experiences are quite different from institution to institution. The CCSSM may provide a mechanism for common talk and more parallel learning-to-teach experiences, but if it is to do so, much work must be done across MTEs.

Authors

• Marcy B. Wood, The University of Arizona

• Jill Annette Newton, Purdue University

• Patricia S. Wilson, University of Georgia - Athens

• Denise A Spangler, University of Georgia

• Corey Drake, Michigan State University

• Sarah E. Kasten