Thomas S. Poetter

Framing French Success in Elementary Mathematics: Policy, Curriculum, and Pedagogy

Abstract For many decades Americans have been concerned about the effective teaching of mathematics, and educational and political leaders have often advocated reforms such as a return to the basics and strict accountability systems as the way to improve mathematical achievement. International studies, however, suggest that such reforms may not be the best path to successful mathematics education. Through this qualitative case study, the authors explore in depth the French approach to teaching elementary mathematics, using interviews, classroom observations, and documents as their data sets. They apply three theoretical frameworks to their data and find that the French use large-group instruction and a visible pedagogy, focusing on the discussion of mathematical concepts rather than on the completion of practice exercises. The national curriculum is relatively nonprescriptive, and teachers are somewhat empowered through site-based management. The authors conclude that the keys to French success with mathematics education are ongoing formative assessment, mathematically competent teachers, policies and practices that help disadvantaged children, and the use of constructivist methods. They urge comparative education researchers to look beyond international test scores to deeper issues of policy and practice.

Exploring Clinical, On-Site Supervision in a School-University Partnership.

Abstract Alternative models for student intern supervision in education have arisen over the past two decades. New models that envision teachers providing the kind of supervisory leadership necessary for strengthening teaching and programs for beginning teachers are taking hold and working. This article describes and interprets a set of clinical supervisory practices that were used with preservice teachers engaged in a semester‐long internship at a professional development school under one such supervision model. The authors use a narrative framework to present a sense of the setting, the supervision model, and some of the successes and concerns that have emerged as a result of two years of ongoing assessment.

Growing Teacher Inquiry: Collaboration in a Partner School

Madeira Junior-Senior High School is 1 of many school partners in Miami Universitys Institute for Educational Renewal. This article presents first-person accounts of 3 individuals closely involved in the partnership as it evolved at this school site. In this case, the collaboration centered on the incorporation of a teacher-as-inquirer component into the student teaching experience. This type of activity holds greater promise for preservice and in-service teacher development than traditional and clinical supervision models.

Possibilities and Problems of School Choice.

As the array of schoolchoice options grows, examining the opportunitiesfrom various angles helps to sort them out. he U.S. “school choice” umT brella has become colorful, if confusing, in recent years. Available options include public schools of choice such as magnet schools, schools-within-schools, alternative schools, and charter schools, as well as school-choice options that promote privatization, such as home schooling and voucher programs. School choice is also a political issue that has and will have an impact on every public school teacher, administrator, and parent. This article explores the impact of the school-choice movement in the United States and its problems and possibilities. As public school advocates, we stake positions as supporters of school-improvement efforts that include school choice. We acknowledge that some choices create new public spaces for groups historically under-served by traditional public schools. However, the choices also come with dangers of re-segregating students and communities based on race and class, further exacerbating rather than addressing the problem of equity.

Emerging Profiles of Teacher-Mentors as Researchers: Benefits of Shared Inquiry

Abstract The authors conducted this collaborative action research project that focuses on three emerging profiles of mentor teachers as researchers in a teacher education program. The three profiles emerged from the experiences mentors had while conducting research concurrently with preservice intern teachers charged to their care. The study revealed three emerging, contextual profiles of mentors engaged in research: 1) the mentor conducting research on mentoring practice; 2) the mentor conducting research on teaching in collaboration with an intern teacher; and 3) the mentor conducting concurrent research on teaching. The study also highlights the benefits of action research for the professional development of both preservice and inservice teachers.

Curriculum Studies: The Search for a Moral Core

Abstract The chasm between the “ivory tower” of the academic world and the lived experience of the K-12 classroom has always been a subject of discussion, but probably no phenomenon has caused more debate on this issue than the reconceptualization of curriculum studies. One interpretation put forth by curriculum theorists is that the reconceptualization developed around a moral void, thereby freeing a constellation of academic discourses from the hold that traditional curriculum writing had on the field until then. We propose, however, that a moral core may be identified in the earliest literature of the reconceptualization. To illuminate it, we examine the texts of scholars credited with inspiring the reconceptualization. We suggest that the identification of this moral core would be a step toward curriculum theorizing that is able to provide “examination and critique of the status quo, pointers and concrete strategies for educational reform, and projections for the future of education” (Wright, 2000, p. 10).

Creating a Center of Inquiry

Through continuous reflection processes and action research projects, dedicated educators can create a center of inquiry. At the heart of this burgeoning center of inquiry-a place where everyone makes a contribution to the education of others by questioning and solving problems-are moral commitments to studying practice, engaging in continuous dialogue, and vibrant, exciting teaching and learning.

Stemming the Tide Calvin's High-Water Mark and Teacher Resistance

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Teachers Critique the Curriculum: Frame Factors at Play.

Thomas S. Poetter is Director of Miami University’s Partnership Office and Professor of Curriculum in the Department of Educational Leadership. His graduate students of education, mostly teachers, produce scholarship in their courses with him. This piece represents such an effort from a graduate course in Curriculum during Summer 2005. He is a member of the Editorial Review Panel for the Record. in scholarly publications. One such class group published a collaborative paper on student motivation in the Record in 2003 (McLoughlin et al. 2003). I often take this approach with adult learners in education courses because I think it’s a valuable one. On one hand, it helps me be more progressive in my teaching, asking students to draw on their own experiences and intellectual efforts to produce scholarship that can be consumed and used by a broader public beyond the students’ own classrooms, schools, or districts. On another, it asks students to break the routine of typical course work patterns: read the book,

Comment et pourquoi les Français réussissent en mathématiques : leur politique, leurs programmes et leur pédagogie

Longtemps, les Etats-Unis ont ete preoccupes par l’efficacite de l’enseignement des mathematiques, les responsables de l’education et les hommes politiques ayant souvent defendu un retour aux competences de base et un developpement de systemes d’evaluation rigoureux comme moyen d’ameliorer la reussite scolaire en mathematiques. Les etudes internationales, neanmoins, suggerent que de telles reformes pourraient ne pas etre la meilleure voie. A travers cette etude qualitative, les auteurs explorent l’approche francaise de l’enseignement des mathematiques a l’ecole elementaire, a partir d’entretiens, d’observations de classe et de documents constituant une serie de donnees. Ils mettent en œuvre un cadre theorique et montrent qu’en France l’instruction se fait en classe entiere selon une pedagogie visible centree sur la discussion des concepts mathematiques plutot que sur la realisation d’exercices pratiques. Le curriculum national y est relativement non prescriptif, et les enseignants sont d’une certaine maniere engages dans le management local. Les auteurs concluent que les cles du succes francais en mathematiques s’expliquent par une evaluation formative, des enseignants competents dans la discipline, des politiques et des pratiques qui aident les eleves en difficultes et l’utilisation de methodes constructivistes. Ils encouragent les chercheurs specialises dans le comparatisme a aller voir au-dela des resultats des comparaisons internationales pour traiter plus en profondeur les questions touchant aux politiques d’education et aux pratiques d’enseignement.