TEXTEAMSSimCalc Project: Rate and Proportionality with Technology

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TEXTEAMS/SimCalc ProjectRate and
Proportionality with Technology

• Jeremy Roschelle
• Principal Investigator

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Our project focuses on

• Core concepts of rate, proportionality(related
  to TEKS and TAKS)
• More challenging mathematics
• Engaging and motivating students
• Improving teaching practices
• ykx approach links to linear functions, algebra,
  science,

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Research Question

• Starting with TEXTEAMS
• Popular, but no technology or replacement unit
• Continuing with SimCalc
• Intensively technology-based replacement unit
• What works for a wide variety of teachers?

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Not only what works but

• What teacher backgrounds, contexts, attitudes,
  practices lead to high student gains with these
  materials?
• What can we do in professional development to
  help ALL teachers succeed?
• How long does it take for teachers to produce
  student gains? Does it last?

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To find out, we proposed a randomized experiment

• We are the only large scale up project NSF
  funded in mathematics this year
• 120-140 teachers (a wide variety)
• Involve teachers for 3 years
• Both randomized design and careful case studies
• Also study 8th grade teachers

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Review Flyers
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Teach important TEKS math

• Within a well-balanced mathematics curriculum,
  the primary focal points at Grade 7 are using
  proportional relationships
• Students use algebraic reasoning to describe how
  a change in one quality in a relationship results
  in a change in the other
• and they connect verbal, numerical, graphic, and
  symbolic representations
• Problem solving, language and communication,
  connections within and outside mathematics, and
  formal and informal reasoning

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TEXTEAMS Materials
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SimCalc Materials
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SimCalc Materials
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Build links to higher mathematicsalgebra and
calculus

• Emphasize
• Proportionality and rate
• Functions (ykx)
• Multiple representations (graphs, tables,
  symbols)
• Real World connections (motion money)
• Continues in 8th grade
• Linear functions (ymxb)
• Introduces velocity graphs

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Application process

• Selected districts give permission to
  recruit(January)
• All teachers in selected schools invited to
  apply (seeking 200-280 applications)
• Teachers apply by February 28th
• Research team picks 120-140 teachers by March 31st

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Wide Variety extremely important

• Seasoned veterans, relative newcomers
• Teachers with different backgrounds
• Excited about technology never used it
• High, medium, low achievement students
• High, medium, and low SES
• Classroom with high, medium, low LEP
• NOT just teachers likely to like it and do well

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Random assignment

• Group A
• Year 1 TEXTEAMS SimCalc
• Year 2 Advanced SimCalc
• Year 3 No workshop, can use materials
• Group B
• Year 1 TEXTEAMS
• Year 2 SimCalc
• Year 3 Advanced SimCalc
• Teachers cannot choose their group, but teachers
  in same school assigned together.

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Paying for research participation

• PD materials will be free
• Teachers will be reimbursed for travel outside
  their region
• Teachers paid 1000 (year 1), 1000 (2), 500 (3)
• Take tests
• Collect student materials
• Complete questionnaires
• Be observed teaching and/or interviewed

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Randomization is essential to high quality
research

• Fair everyone gets all materials and PD sooner
  or later
• Group A gets to use all materials right away
• Group B will receive some materials in the first
  year and will wait one year to use them all
• the materials will be better tested by the second
  year
• they will be paid the same for their
  participation

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When Where (year 1)

• June/July 05
• Attend either 5-day institute (A) or 2-day
  institute (B)
• At one of four ESCs
• Sept 05
• Attend weekend planning (A only)
• At every ESC
• Three weeks in school year 05-06
• Teach unit

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When Where (year 2)

• June/July 06
• Attend either 2-day institute (A) or 3-day
  institute (B)
• At one of four ESCs
• Sept 05
• Attend weekend planning (B only)
• At every ESC
• Three weeks in school year 05-06
• Teach unit

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Teachers get

• professional development
• software and classroom-ready materials
• follow-up assistance via email and phone.
• Re-imbursement for non-local travel expenses
• 1,000 as an honorarium for each of the first two
  years and 500 for the third year.
• Free access to more curriculum units

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We ask teachers to

• Participate in the project for three years.
• Attend all professional development meetings.
• Teach a 3-week unit
• Complete research surveys and assessments.
• Administer and collect student assessments.
• Participate in interviews and allow your
  classroom to be observed.

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Legal Requirements

• Must get district school permission before
  contacting teachers
• Teachers must give informed consent to
  participate
• Confidentiality must not be violated
  (x is participating, you should
  too!)
• Participation must be voluntary(Participation
  or failure to participate will not in any way
  affect your relationship with the school
  district in which you work.)

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Try not to guess or anticipate results, try not
to do anything that might bias results.

• Be careful about
• Dont pick the teachers are who are best for
  this (instead help us get a wide variety of
  applicants)
• Dont promise teachers which group they will be
  in
• Dont tell teachers which materials you think are
  better
• Dont tell teachers what you think the study will
  prove
• Dont provide different levels of support to
  different teachers