John K. Lannin

Professional Skills in the Engineering Curriculum

Faculty from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the College of Education at the University of Missouri (MU), Columbia, developed a novel course for engineering graduate students emphasizing pedagogy and professional skills. The two-semester course sequence, titled “Preparing Engineering Faculty and Professionals,” includes readings from books that cover several different areas: How People Learn, with focus on the latest findings from cognitive science and their applicability to teaching; The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for discussion of other professional skills; and The World is Flat for discussion of global trends and its effects on professionals. Other components of the course include lectures by guest speakers on topics ranging from how universities work and how to run successful research centers to leadership traits for engineers. A pilot survey of students at the end of the two-course sequence revealed that students had acquired little knowledge about pedagogy and professional skills from other courses in their undergraduate and graduate engineering curriculum; this course addresses such deficits by raising awareness and knowledge of these skills.

The Transition from Experienced Teacher to Mathematics Coach: Establishing a New Identity.

This study draws on the theoretical underpinnings of the research literature in identity and investigates the transition from experienced teacher to novice mathematics coach. The 4 components of a math coachs identity (coach as supporter of teachers, coach as supporter of students, coach as learner, and coach as supporter of the school-at-large) that this study highlights were enacted by the beginning coaches on their school stage and negotiated with their audience (i.e., teachers, principals) as they attempted to fulfill these roles within the school environment. By examining the roles, expectations, and interactions of first-year mathematics coaches, we deepen our understanding of the demands placed on novice mathematics coaches as they assume new roles and identities.

Algebraic Generalisation Strategies: Factors Influencing Student Strategy Selection

This study reports on the algebraic generalisation strategies used by two fifth grade students along with the factors that appeared to influence these strategies. These students were examined over 18 instructional sessions using a teaching experiment methodology. The results highlighted the complex factors that appeared to influence student strategy use, which included: (a) input value, (b) mathematical structure of the task, (c) prior strategies, (d) visual image of the situation, and (e) social interactions with the teacher and other student. Particular combinations of these factors appeared to increase the predictability of student strategy use. However, the complex nature of the factors influencing these strategies demonstrates the challenges that exist in encouraging students to move toward more sophisticated strategies.

Recruiting Future Science and Mathematics Teachers into Alternative Certification Programs: Strategies Tried and Lessons Learned.

SMAR2T: Science and Mathematics Academy for the Recruitment and Retention of Teachers is an NSF-funded project for the alternative certification of science and mathematics teachers. Since 2003, we have recruited 4 cohorts of students for 2 different routes to postbaccalaureate teacher certification for teaching grades 5–12. Because we did not meet our target numbers for the recruitment of the 1st cohort, we examined our recruitment strategies and their effects. In this paper, we discuss strategies used to recruit for the 1st SMAR2T cohort and the outcomes of those strategies. We present ongoing recruitment efforts and data on inquiries and applicants for the 2nd cohort. Finally, we highlight the intentional and unintentional gatekeepers of our program and present implications for others engaged in designing and implementing alternative pathways certification.

Supporting university content specialists in providing effective professional development: the educative role of evaluation

Evaluation of professional development (PD) has traditionally been composed of summative and formative feedback, and has focused on assessing the extent to which the PD impacts participating teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices. This study establishes an additional purpose for PD evaluation – as educative opportunities for professional developers, particularly for PD providers who are university-level content specialists (e.g. scientists, mathematicians, statisticians, engineers). Through analysis of data collected as state-wide evaluators for one US Midwest state’s Improving Teacher Quality Grant PD programs, and utilizing an analysis methodology which we term ‘recommendation traces,’ we examine formative evaluation recommendations that we made to four different PD projects over three years. Findings from this study shed light on how content specialists who work in PD projects can learn about effective PD through project evaluation efforts.