Models for Departmentalization at the Elementary Level

• In Event: The Work of Elementary Mathematics Specialists: Findings From the STEAM Project

Abstract

Purpose. One of the core questions of the BLINDED project was to explore alternate models for deploying the expertise of Elementary Mathematics Specialists. In this poster, we share cases of how EMSs in our sample were being employed in their schools where they have responsibility for teaching mathematics to multiple groups of students—what we describe as “departmentalization.”

Framework. Interest in content specialization at the elementary level can be traced back nearly a century (Otto, 1931). Proponents of departmentalization have argued that the self-contained teacher, with responsibilities for teaching all subjects, has neither the time nor resources to develop expertise in teaching any subject, whereas a specialized assignment affords the opportunity to focus on building knowledge for teaching in a specific content area such as mathematics (de Araujo et al., 2017; Fennell, 2011; Gojak, 2013). In this poster, we are particularly interested in investigating the nature of departmentalized teaching roles and how these enhance and/or limit EMS-certified teachers’ opportunities to put their skills and knowledge for teaching mathematics to use.

Methods. We employed descriptive case study methodology (Yin, 2014) to investigate and document the experiences of three EMS participants from the main study. We conducted semi-structured interviews five times with each teacher over the course of the school year. These interviews focused on the teacher’s current role, her vision and goals for teaching mathematics, the supports available to help her to enact that vision, the challenges she anticipated facing during the year, her instructional decision making, the influence of state-mandated standardized assessments, and reflections on the school year. To analyze the data, we created a profile for each teacher through an iterative process of coding and comparing data, focusing on the teachers’ descriptions of their departmentalized models and how they navigated different aspects of their teaching contexts. Then we compared empirical patterns across the three cases in relation to emerging themes.

Results. Though each teacher had substantially different versions of a departmentalized role, we found common affordances and constraints. For example, all three teachers talked positively about how teaching multiple rotations enabled them to learn from earlier enactments and make adjustments in subsequent lessons. Also, all three teachers talked about how their departmentalization structure did not always allow their multiple classes access to the same quality of mathematics learning opportunities, and hindered their flexibility in making adjustments to the timing and duration of lessons. In addition, some models created opportunities for professional collaboration, while others were professionally isolating, such as a teacher who served as the only mathematics teacher in her school at her grade level. In general, these models show that there are a variety of ways that elementary teachers can be departmentalized, and that these have different affordances and constraints.

Author

• Corey M. Webel, University of Missouri - Columbia