Studying Teacher Professional Development: Challenges and Possible Solutions

1
Studying Teacher Professional Development
Challenges and Possible Solutions

• Rossella Santagata
• Assistant Professor, University of California,
  Irvine
• Research Scientist, LessonLab Research Institute,
  Santa Monica, CA

2
Overview of Presentation

• Background TIMSS video research and implications
  for PD
• PD Program under study
• Research Study questions, sample and design
• Key measures
• Challenges and some possible solutions

3
Study Background and Goals

• Builds on key findings of TIMSS 1999 Video Study.
• Aims at helping 6th-grade mathematics teachers to
  maintain the cognitive level of rich mathematics
  problems.
• Key topic areas fractions, ratio/proportion, and
  variables/expressions

4
PD Program

• Can we get teachers to effectively engage
  students in thinking about math concepts?
• Three video-based modules, each focusing on
• Mathematics content knowledge
• Analysis of videotaped lessons (strategies for
  maintaining problems richness and student lens)
• Teaching of videotaped lesson
• Sharing meetings
• Total of 45 face-to-face hours
• 7 pull-out days (42 hours) distributed during the
  year
• 3 sharing meetings (3 hours)

5
Research Questions

• Does the PD program impact teacher knowledge?
• Does the PD program impact teaching practices?
• Does the PD program impact student learning?

6
Sample

• Predominantly low-income district in Los Angeles
• 5 Title-1 middle schools
• All 6th-grade teachers (71) PD program made
  mandatory by the district
• All 6th-grade students (approx 4400 in 137
  classes)
• Student population 73.6 Latino and 25.9
  African American 40 are English learners
• 6.2 of students are mathematics proficient (as
  measured by state tests in 2004)

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Design

• Year 1
• Random assignment within schools and tracks
  Treatment and no-treatment group
• Year 2
• All teachers participated in PD program (1 year
  vs 2 years of PD)

8
Key Measures - Teachers

• Content and pedagogical content knowledge
• Multiple-choice survey Items from Study of
  Instructional Improvement (Ball Hill,
  University of Michigan) California Professional
  Development Institutes (MPDI - UC office of the
  president) and developed in-house
• Administered at 3 points in time 2 equivalent
  forms
• Video Analysis Assessment
• Administered prior and at the end of Year 2
• Compliance Ratings

9
Key Measures Teaching Practices

• Videotapes of lessons including a rich problem
• 3 points in time
• Fieldnotes from classroom observations

10
Key Measures - Students

• State standardized tests
• Subset of district quarterly assessment items
  targeting key content areas
• In-house student performance assessment items

11
Challenges and Possible Solutions

• Challenges to Experimental Design
• Students are moved from one class to another on
  the basis of their performance on English
  language proficiency test
• Challenges to program success
• Role of math coaches
• Contrasting messages on focus of instruction
• Build infrastructure at the school level

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• Challenges to validity of measures
• Content and PCK survey is time consuming and
  exposes teachers lack of knowledge
• Video-based, embedded measures of teacher
  knowledge
• Teacher Compliance
• 6/28 teachers in Year 1 and 5/38 teachers in Year
  2 were rated as fully compliant
• Design PD programs that build on teachers
  perceived needs

13
Conclusions

• Conducting experimental research in schools
  (particularly in disadvantaged schools) is time
  consuming and difficult
• Underprivileged schools need our attention
• Partnerships between researchers and schools are
  extremely valuable