Shifts in Perspectives of New York City Teaching Fellows: Exploring Reformed and Traditional Math Beliefs and Practices

• In Event: 75.042 - MTCC Roundtable Session 34
  In Roundtable Session: 75.042-11 - Helping Teachers Move Toward More Meaningful Mathematics Instruction

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore how, if at all, a group of teachers from the New York City Teaching Fellows (NYCTF) alternative certification program may have shifted in their beliefs and/or practices of teaching math since beginning to teach, and what factors may have influenced such shifts. Data is drawn from Fellows’ responses on an open-ended survey response item, and is analyzed in the context of the the recent movements of the math teaching community towards adopting reform-based practices. Through inductively coding Fellows’ responses, preliminary results suggest that the majority of the Fellows shifted from traditional to reform-oriented beliefs/practices. This study is situated in literature focusing on influential factors shaping teachers’ beliefs/practices.

Author

• Sean Gruber, University of Maryland - College Park