Using Inquiry to Improve Pedagogy through K-12/University Partnerships

Tracy Huziak-Clark, Stephen J. Van Hook, Julie Nurnberger-Haag & Lena Ballone-Duran

This article focuses on the impact a collaborative project between university graduate fellows and K-12 classroom teachers had on improved pedagogy in the classroom and in the future at the university. Nine teams participated in a yearlong professional development project to improve pedagogy and communication skills of the participants. This study shows that the participants, the fellows and the K-12 teacher partners, made changes in planning, implementation, and even motivation for using inquiry-based methods in their classroom. External observations of the teams further support the individuals' claims of improved pedagogy using inquiry and impact on student conceptual understanding. The Horizon Classroom Observation instrument was used for these observations. The teams showed an overall increase in scores, as well as overall effective and exemplarily implementation of their planning. The program design, the implementation, and the results of this three-year study will be elaborated in this article.

A Longitudinal Study of Elementary Pre-service TeachersÕ Mathematics Beliefs and Content Knowledge

Susan Swars, Lynn C. Hart, Stephanie Z. Smith, Marvin E. Smith & Tammy Tolar

This study investigated the mathematics beliefs and content knowledge of 103 elementary pre-service teachers in a developmental teacher preparation program that included a two course mathematics methods sequence. Pre-service teachers' pedagogical beliefs became more cognitively-oriented during the teacher preparation program with these changes occurring during the two methods courses. Pedagogical beliefs remained stable during student teaching. The pre-service teachers also significantly increased their personal efficacy for teaching mathematics throughout the program with these shifts occurring across both methods courses and into student teaching. Pedagogical beliefs and teaching efficacy beliefs were not related at the beginning of the program, but, in general, were positively related throughout the program. In addition, the pre-service teachers' pedagogical beliefs were positively related to their specialized content knowledge for teaching mathematics at the end of the program.

Secondary Options and Post-secondary Expectations: Standards-based Mathematics Programs and Student Achievement on College Mathematics Placement Exams

Jon D. Davis & Jeffrey C. Shih

Research on student achievement within the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP) and Core-Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP) at the secondary level is beginning to accumulate, however, much less is known about how prepared these students are for post-secondary education. Therefore this study involving students within one tracked school district used multiple linear regression to examine the role of differential experience within two secondary Standards-based mathematics programs, gender, and prior mathematics achievement on college algebra and calculus readiness placement test scores. Results show that there are no significant differences between students who had completed three and four years of the CPMP curriculum. UCSMP students with four or five years of experience significantly outperformed CPMP students on both assessments. Prior achievement was a significant predictor of student achievement on both examinations. Male students outperformed female students on the algebra placement exam. Students who had studied from both CPMP and UCSMP significantly outperformed students who had studied from CPMP for four years on the calculus readiness examination.