George J. Roy

Sustainable Use of Dynamic Representational Environments: Toward a District-Wide Adoption of SimCalc-Based Materials

In this chapter, we will discuss pilot research in our multiyear effort aimed at aiding a large, urban school district in the state of Florida to adopt SimCalc MathWorlds® as a sustainable and integral part of middle school mathematics education. Building upon analyses that identify important factors in sustainable use of SimCalc-based materials, we have built local capacity to support the program and designed teacher professional development and district rollout plans to increase the likelihood of sustained use in the district. We have found that our efforts resulted in a replication of prior effectiveness results, as well as strong local support for SimCalc-based materials. These factors have allowed us to steadily increase our presence in the district, and now the district and project team are actively working toward our shared vision of the materials being used by every middle school mathematics teacher in the district. We end with a discussion of next steps and risks associated with our ongoing efforts.

Supporting Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers and Students: A Curricular Activity System Used in an Urban School District.

Abstract The exploration of proportional relationships is foundational to the mathematics studied in the middle grades and beyond. Research has shown that an early emphasis on procedures often leaves students with a shallow understanding of the important underlying mathematical concepts of proportional relationships. One approach that addresses the needs of both teachers and students when it comes to mathematics that middle grades students find challenging (e.g., ratios and proportions) is a unified curricular activity system (i.e., a system of curricular materials, technology, and teacher professional development). The mixed-method study presented in this article outlines a curricular activity system that was designed to underpin middle grades mathematics teachers’ implementation of a learning module addressing proportional relationships. The results of the study provide evidence that a curricular activity system in which teacher professional development is coherently aligned to technology-embedded curriculum impacts teachers’ ability to teach as well as students’ learning of proportional relationships.