Teachers' Challenges in Implementing Cognitively Demanding Tasks in Middle School Mathematics Classrooms

• In Event: Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: Mathematics Curriculum Enactment and Policy

Abstract

This study examines middle school teachers’ understanding of cognitive demand and the challenges in implementing tasks at different levels of cognitive demand. The conceptual framework of this study is grounded on the four levels of cognitive demand by Stein, Smith, Henningsen, and Silver (2000): memorization, procedures without connections, procedures with connections and doing mathematics. Five teachers from a number of middle schools at the Southwestern USA participated in the study as part of their professional development activities. In this mixed methods study researchers collected a survey, interviews, classroom observations, and workshop observations from each of the five participants. The results of this study showed challenges related to student learning, challenges related to teacher knowledge, and challenges related to outside forces.

Authors

• Angelica Monarrez, University of Texas at El Paso

• Mourat Tchoshanov, The University of Texas - El Paso