NOVA Grant Proposal

Teacher Preparation Academy - Dr. Deborah A. McAllister

The College of Education and Applied Professional Studies

UTC's College of Education and Applied Professional Studies (CEAPS) and College of Arts and Sciences have a history of collaboration. Recent collaboration between faculty members in these colleges, in accordance with changes in state teacher licensure standards, has resulted in two redesigned degree programs for preservice teachers: Early Childhood PreK-4 and Middle School (5-8). It is these programs that we wish to improve through a NOVA grant.

Introduction

The goal of this project is to dramatically improve preservice elementary and middle school teacher preparation in mathematics at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC). We plan to achieve this goal by creating one innovative new course in mathematics for preservice teachers, and modifying an existing mathematics methods course. In contrast to the mathematics courses offered at present, the new mathematics course will emphasize active learning, relevant use of up-to-date technology, connections between mathematics and science, deeper understanding of mathematical concepts, and improved problem solving. The course will thereby more effectively address national standards in mathematics and, in addition, incorporate two of NASA's Strategic Enterprises. We believe that it is particularly important to develop more meaningful learning environments for our preservice teachers in these courses so that they will have a model to use for creating such environments in their own classrooms.

There are several reasons why this is an excellent time to make changes at the UTC. First, we wish to realign our curriculum with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) revised standards for the year 2000 (NCTM, 1998). Second, we have redesigned two degree programs for preservice teachers in accordance with changes in state teacher licensure standards, and have the opportunity to develop more focused curricula for these programs. Third, the local public school system has adopted a more demanding series of elementary and middle school mathematics texts, thereby intensifying the need to improve the preparation of preservice teachers at UTC. Fourth, UTC has just adopted an expanded and more demanding general education curriculum, including a greater emphasis on mathematical understanding and a new statistical literacy requirement. Finally, the faculty members on our team have become familiar with national standards and recommendations in mathematics and the natural sciences. Through our own professional development activities, including UTC's annual Instructional Excellence retreat, we have gained considerable experience in the use of innovative teaching techniques such as the use of group activities, writing assignments, and oral communication, and modern technological teaching tools such as graphing calculators, CBLs, pertinent websites, and computer software. We are eager to redesign our curriculum to take advantage of these new developments.

Present Course and Sequence

The present course sequence was detailed in the proposal to attend the NOVA workshop, with catalog course descriptions listed. Students in the Early Childhood and Middle School programs, and the K-12 Exceptional Learning program (not recently revised with the other programs), are required to complete two 3-semester-hour courses in mathematics, Math 115, 116 Mathematical Concepts for Elementary Teachers. Students are required to complete Math 210 Introductory Statistics, or an alternate 3-semester-hour statistics course. This is a new requirement to meet the university's revised General Education component. Students are required to complete a 3-semester-hour course in computer science, Cpsc 110 Introduction to Computing

Students in the Early Childhood and Exceptional Learning programs are required to complete a 1-semester-hour methods course, Educ 414, Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School. A course syllabus from spring 1999 is attached.

Students in the Middle School program are required to complete a 3-semester-hour methods course for the area of concentration (English, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences); this is the same course taken by the secondary education majors. Students in the Middle School program who select mathematics as the area of concentration must also complete two 3-semester-hour courses in precalculus, one 3-semester-hour course in calculus, one 4-semester-hour course in computer programming, and one 4-semester-hour course in astronomy. The student who selects mathematics as the area of concentration for the middle school level must complete Educ 451 Teaching Strategies and Materials in Mathematics.

Students are required to complete parallel content and methods coursework in the natural sciences. All state licensure standards are met, including those for technology. Courses emphasize the national and local curriculum and evaluation standards, including the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996), and Benchmarks for Science Literacy (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1993). It should be noted that graduate students in the Early Childhood and Middle School licensure tracks will also be enrolled in the new mathematics course as part of their undergraduate bridging coursework.

New/Modified Courses

A new course will be required of majors in Early Childhood and Middle School education, and Exceptional Learning. In addition, the required mathematics methods course (Educ 414) for Early Childhood and Exceptional Learning majors, housed in the Teacher Preparation Academy, will be modified in sequence to coordinate with the new math course, yet retain a methods focus. Approximately 160-200 education students per year are expected to take these courses.

The new mathematics course, Principles of Elementary Mathematics (Math 214), will be a 4-semester-hour course, including 3 hours of whole class instruction and 2 hours of laboratory work. This course will be developed in accordance with the NCTM's 1989 Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 1989), and the forthcoming revised NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, to be published within the next year. The general syllabus, which relies heavily on the standards, includes (a) problem solving and mathematical reasoning; (b) properties of real numbers, number theory, and numerical operations; (c) computational methods, with special emphasis on mental arithmetic and estimation, understanding of the theoretical basis for algorithms, and appropriate use of calculators; (d) numeration systems, including different bases; (e) proportional relationships; (f) data analysis and algebraic reasoning; (g) geometry; and (h) measurement, with special emphasis on the importance of paying attention to units. Applications associated with astronomy will be stressed. In order to meet the objectives of this project, a draft syllabus that has been discussed for several months, prior to attending the NOVA workshop at Western Kentucky University, will need further revision during the upcoming fall semester. It is not attached.

Math 214 will include labs in which students, usually in groups, will investigate such nonroutine problems as the pattern of movement of the planets in the sky. NASA websites will be very useful for this and other problems associated with astronomy and physics. Students will also help each other find meaning in mathematical concepts which they had in the past memorized without understanding. Such labs will capture the essential spirit of the NCTM standards.

With regard to instruction, a variety of pedagogical techniques will be used to help engage students in learning. Research on learning has demonstrated the usefulness of group activities in this regard. In the labs, students will be organized into teams to work on projects, including the writing and presentation of reports. Laboratory work will be conducted in classrooms containing tables instead of desks, or out in the field. Cooperative groups will also be expected to engage in other activities, such as submitting possible test questions along with their solutions, meeting with the instructor to discuss the results of tests, writing test corrections, holding study group meetings on a regular basis, and solving new problems with various old and new tools, such as using their graphing calculators to explore exponential growth. Students will also be expected to justify answers, explain concepts, and devise their own problems, all in correct English.

All students will be required to own or rent graphing calculators, have an email address (provided free through UTC or through a commercial Internet service provider), and have access to the Web. Course materials will be available primarily on a course Web page. Instructors and students will be communicating with each other regularly through email. The latter is expected to be used for many activities, including hints on solving various problems, student-generated solutions to tests, discussions of such solutions, and organizational matters.

Assessment of student learning will include evaluations of projects and take-home tests in addition to traditional tests. Final grades will reflect what students have eventually learned in the course, even if they performed poorly initially. Course assessment will include the use of pre- and post-course questionnaires on mathematical understanding and attitude toward mathematics. For instance, we are very interested in finding if there will be a shift in students' reactions to the statement, "Usually there is only one right way to solve a problem." A follow-up questionnaire will be sent to students in a year or two. We are particularly concerned about receiving input from students who will have gone on to be teachers. In addition, a team of expert elementary and middle school teachers will serve as consultants regarding course content, pedagogy, and evaluation.

Students will complete anonymous university course evaluations, and instructors will meet to conduct extensive post-course evaluations. The general rule-of-thumb is that a course is evaluated the first time each instructor teaches it during the academic year (fall through summer), though additional course evaluations in subsequent semesters may be requested by the department head or the instructor.

Technology will be used extensively throughout the courses, and will include the use of (a) graphing calculators for numerical tables, visualizations, and explorations of patterns; (b) CBLs for a variety of experiments to generate and investigate patterns; (c) computers for computations and explorations; and (d) NASA's websites and databases and the World Wide Web for simulations, projects, etc. The campus-based Challenger Learning and Teaching Center of Chattanooga adds another resource for increased use with preservice teachers in a new course sequence. This provides an interdisciplinary, technology-rich environment in which to demonstrate the advantages of learning through situated cognition, a strategy in which what students learn and how they learn it are not separated (Brown, cited in Roblyer, Edwards, & Havriluk, 1997). Further, the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt University has described anchored instruction, a strategy that combines situated cognition, cooperative learning, and scaffolding into teaching that is "situated in engaging, problem-rich environments that allow sustained exploration by students and teachers" (cited in Roblyer, et al., p. 70). In order for authentic assessment of student learning to occur, we must first provide authentic learning environments, and we aim to create these in the courses targeted in this project.

Connections to systemic reform are present within and outside of the university. Beginning in Fall 1999, a new General Education curriculum will be initiated at UTC, emphasizing active and cooperative learning, the use of technology, and the development of a deeper understanding of science, mathematics, and statistics. Our reform of the mathematics curriculum for preservice teachers is perfectly aligned with this development.

Degree programs for future teachers have been redesigned dramatically, with implementation for entering freshman during the 1998-1999 academic year. Three degree programs have been streamlined into two, initiated in part as a result of the Tennessee Department of Education's move to eliminate overlapping licensures. Previous programs prepared students for licensure in grades PreK-3, K-8, and 1-8, with the upper end of the large ranges often shortchanged in focused, subject content. The Early Childhood and Middle School programs now provide courses more appropriate for working with children specifically in those developmental levels.

Significant change is also occurring in the local public school system, as serious attempts are being made to upgrade the K-8 mathematics curriculum. More demanding textbook series have been adopted for the coming school year. The Connected Mathematics series, developed by Michigan State University (1999), is being adopted for middle school (grades 6-8). This series gives much more than lip service to the NCTM standards. The Everyday Math series (grades K-5), developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (Everyday Learning Corporation, 1999), also strongly adheres to the NCTM standards, emphasizing problem solving and understanding without slighting basic skills. At least one member of our team will be working as a consultant with public school teachers to implement these innovative texts. It is imperative that the preservice education of teachers prepare them to use such texts. This is yet another reason to redesign our program.

Connections to NASA's Strategic Enterprises

The strategic enterprises most closely related to this project are Space Science and Human Exploration and Development of Space. The primary customers include the education community and technology innovators (Space Science). This is an interdisciplinary project collaboration between education, mathematics, and physics for preservice teachers who will primarily develop and sharpen mathematics, science, and technology skills. Mathematics course and laboratory activities, as well as those in parallel science concepts and science methods courses, will focus on the educational aspects of these enterprise areas, promoting the building of learning communities strong in mathematics and science skills.

The team has discussed an astronomy theme, focusing on geometry and the solar system, to be used in the laboratory portion of Math 214. Complementary activities, chosen from the NASA/NCTM Mission Mathematics series (NCTM, 1997a, 1997b), will be used in Educ 414. A theme is often used in the parallel social studies concepts and methods courses, e.g., the rainforest.

The presence of an active Challenger Center on the UTC campus (see Facilities Description) provides a hands-on environment in which to explore space, as well as a natural wetlands ecosystem. It further serves as a point of observation of K-12 students engaged in similar activities involving both mathematics and science. A Challenger mission has been built into the project for every student who enrolls in Math 214. As Challenger Center Professor, Dr. Benson will facilitate the missions. Students will spend additional time in the Challenger Center during their science concepts and methods courses.

Though each Challenger simulation has a particular theme, e.g., Rendezvous with Comet Halley or Encounter Earth, each integrates mathematics, science, and technology, with an emphasis on teamwork and team-building. The content and process skills are those that are important for preservice teachers to take from their university experience to the classroom so that the next generation of learners will understand the relationships between science, technology, and society, and will be prepared to live and work either on the Earth or in space.

Collaborative Efforts

Strengths of our teacher preparation programs include the Professional Development School model for early field experiences (PDS I) and for student teaching (PDS II). Both are collaborative efforts with the Hamilton County Schools. During PDS I, preservice teachers are on-site at a county school full-time, 5 days each week. UTC education faculty take preservice courses to the site. The field component is emphasized as the preservice teachers observe and assist in classrooms. Approximately two-thirds of the Early Childhood, Middle School, and Exceptional Learning preservice teachers participate in this program. Dr. Bibler was awarded the grant to establish this program.

During PDS II, preservice teachers are assigned to two different schools, one rural or suburban and one inner-city, each for an 8-week placement, under the guidance of teams of teachers, with a UTC professor-in-residence on-site 1 day each week for the purpose of faculty development. Dr. McAllister is a professor-in-residence at one of the middle schools.

A K-8 advisory team of teachers, to be consulted on content and pedagogy and to be involved with assessment will be selected for the project. Hamilton County teachers and administrators currently serve in advisory roles for the PDS programs, and worked with education and arts and sciences faculty in the redesign of the education programs. There is a history of ongoing collaboration for inservice and preservice teaching, grant-writing, etc., that is especially important for the design and implementation of new and revised degree programs.

As noted above, at least one member of our team will be working as a consultant with Hamilton County K-8 teachers to implement the newly-adopted innovative textbook series.

Long-term working relationships are present with area 2-year colleges (Chattanooga State Technical Community College and Cleveland State Community College) to provide well-articulated programs of study and a smooth transition for the student from the 2-year to 4-year environment.

Graduate students will provide support for this project, especially with the use of technology in the 21st Century Classroom. One graduate assistant, specializing in secondary mathematics, has an undergraduate double major in mathematics and computer science, and has worked for Texas Instruments. She is also a substitute teacher, and has four children in school in Hamilton County. The other graduate assistant is specializing in secondary Spanish, and has an undergraduate double major in communications and psychology. These graduate assistants are employed by CEAPS.

There is a high degree of interest in the integration of technology with content areas within CEAPS, and it's never long before everyone jumps on the bandwagon. It is likely that other graduate and undergraduate students will participate in the project, aside from being enrolled in the courses described. There are on- and off-campus opportunities for students to engage in conference presentation, funded research projects, and publication (see Poppe, McAllister, & Richardson, 1998; McAllister & Sullivan, [1999]; and McAllister & Bartnik, 1996a, 1996b).

Project Evaluation and Assessment

Timeline:

Summer 1999
- Attend NOVA workshop at Western Kentucky University (Drs. McAllister, Darken, Wang).
- Prepare and submit NOVA grant proposal (Drs. McAllister, Darken, Mr. Wynegar).
- Attend Tennessee Space Grant Consortium meeting (Dr. McAllister).

Fall 1999
- Development of pilot mathematics course; Dr. Darken has reassigned time.
- Collect baseline attitude data in Educ 414 with students enrolled prior to project implementation (Dr. McAllister). An instrument, such as the Attitude Toward Any School Subject, modified for mathematics, might be used (Silance & Remmers, cited in Shaw & Wright, 1967).
- Begin NOVA Web page (Dr. McAllister)
- Begin Educ 414 Web page (Dr. McAllister)
- Prepare and submit a group UTC Faculty Development grant proposal to at least partially fund all team members for the Leadership Development Conference trip (Drs. McAllister, Bibler).
- Attend Leadership Development Conference at Kennedy Space Center (Drs. McAllister, Bibler, one or more team members, invited administrator).
- Establishment of advisory team of K-8 teachers (team).
- Begin plans to integrate mathematics methods with mathematics course (team).
- Begin a plan for a student publication, based on information available on NASA's Web sites, incorporating the use of spreadsheets, and similar to Science on the Web: Web Activities Using Scientific Data (Poppe, McAllister, & Richardson, 1998) (Dr. McAllister, graduate assistants, undergraduate students). (A copy of the book is included for you to keep.)

Spring 2000
- Partial implementation of pilot mathematics course, including pre- and post-course questionnaires, etc. (Dr. Darken and Math 214 faculty).
- Regular consultation with K-8 advisory team (team).
- Visits and team-teaching with Math 214 and Educ 414 (team).
- Order calculator and CBL equipment for partial spring and full summer implementation (Dr. McAllister); equipment will be shared as a classroom set between Teacher Preparation, Mathematics Dept., and Physics Dept. faculty for mathematics and science concepts and methods courses (team).
- Prepare and submit UTC Instructional Excellence grant proposals for equipment to supplement current course materials (team).

Summer 2000
- Evaluation of pilot mathematics course (team).
- Create a well-honed skills test, preferably on computer, with multiple versions, possibly computer-graded, with results to the students instantly (team).
- Final development of 13 or 14 laboratory activities, incorporating a learning cycle, and exploring Internet resources, especially the NASA websites (Drs. Darken, Wang, McAllister; Mr. Wynegar).
- Develop materials for chunks of the course, possibly writing a book (Dr. Darken, team).
- Develop a website for Math 214 (team).
- Develop an instructor's manual (Dr. Darken, Mr. Wynegar).
- Complete development of new mathematics course with integrated methods course (team).
- Implementation of mathematics (Dr. Darken, Dr. Edwards) and integrated mathematics methods courses (Dr. McAllister, Dr. Wofford); at least one section per course will be scheduled for summer.
- Visits and team-teaching with Math 214 and Educ 414 (team).
- Prepare interim report (Dr. McAllister, team).
- Possible preparation of second-year approach (Dr. McAllister, team).

Fall 2000
- Full implementation of mathematics and integrated mathematics methods courses; three sections of each course are likely to be scheduled for fall (faculty as listed above).
- Visits and team-teaching with Math 214 and Educ 414 (team).

Spring 2001
- Evaluation of courses (team).

Outcomes:

Outcomes with regard to students will be assessed via tests, projects, questionnaires, and course evaluations, as described above.
Student assistants will also complete questionnaires, immediately and a year later.
The faculty teaching the courses and involved in an advisory capacity will fill out questionnaires and discuss courses.
Faculty with interest in the program will be invited to attend discussions.

Action Research Plan

Objective 1: To determine if the mathematics and mathematics methods courses have an impact on understanding of and attitude toward mathematics.

Plan: Measure changes in students' understanding of and attitude toward mathematics via first and last day questionnaires. Also give questionnaire to students in another entry level math course for comparison. Typical statement for Lickert scale questionnaire: "There is usually only one way to solve a math problem."

Objective 2: To increase our understanding of how students learn to solve unfamiliar problems.

Plan: (a) Review the literature on problem solving. What is known about the relationship between knowledge base, IQ, attitude, etc., and problem solving? How successfully have students used problem solving heuristics to solve new problems? (b) Develop a series of problems of increasing difficulty and observe students working on these problems in laboratory and classroom, and collect data on performance. (c) Develop hypotheses based on literature review and observations. Conduct interviews with various types of students regarding problem solving.

Diversity Plan

Approximately 160-200 students will enroll in Math 214 and Educ 414 each year. Based on spring and summer 1999 enrollment data in Educ 414, 107 students enrolled, including 11 male (>10%) and 14 African American (>13%) students. (Over 60 students are currently enrolled for Educ 414 for fall 1999.) Though course evaluation data of Educ 414 has not indicated any cause for equity concerns, a number of the NOVA group's suggestions for change are either currently followed, or will be followed in Math 214 and Educ 414. These include (a) encouraging class participation by all students; (b) use of small and large collaborative groups; (c) writing within the content; (d) multiple methods of assessment; (e) student-faculty research projects; and (f) open lines of communication, including the use of email and course websites.

Facilities Description

The Challenger Center, a unit of CEAPS, is an environment for teaching and learning. It was the 25th to be built, the 1st in a dedicated building, and the 1st to make the tie to preservice teacher education. The center creates on-site space missions using a high technology mission simulator. It provides teacher in-service training along with curriculum materials for classroom use. The mission simulation, teacher training, and curriculum materials have been designed to support the goals and objectives of the National Science Education Standards and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy. During the mission, the crew works as a team, accepts responsibility, experiences shared trust, builds communication skills, and develops problem-solving techniques. These components reinforce inquiry-based learning. The mission simulator allows students to apply mathematics and science concepts to real-life situations.

The Challenger Center is a state-of-the-art facility combining a computer-simulated mission with an interactive shuttle voyage. Student pilots navigate the shuttle toward an awaiting space station and then maneuver and dock the shuttle before embarking on the mission. The shuttle simulator was designed by UTC engineering students (Challenger Center, 1999).

The 21st Century Classroom, a state-approved technology training facility in CEAPS, is used for class meetings when faculty want to facilitate work that integrates technology with content. Dr. McAllister is the Technology Coordinator for the 21st Century Classroom. The computer laboratory in the Mathematics Department will also be available for use in this project.

Budget

Please see the attached budget (also on-line: http://cecasun.utc.edu/~tpa/mcallister/novaspr.html).

Assurances

Math 214 is a new course that will replace the Math 115/116 sequence as of spring 2000. Math 115 was taught for the last time summer 1st a.m. session 1999 and Math 116 will be taught for the last time fall 1999. Math 214 will be a required course for the Early Childhood PreK-4, Middle School, and Exceptional Learning programs, satisfying both the General Education Mathematics requirement (along with a Statistics course), and state licensure requirements. Educ 414 will continue to be taught; it is also required for graduation and for licensure. Two pages of the General Education Web page are included with this grant proposal. Math 214 is being prepared for the General Education Committee to review, with submission pending.

A letter of support for this collaboration between the College of Education and Applied Professional Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences was included with the workshop proposal material. A copy of that letter is included with this grant proposal.

References

American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1993). Benchmarks for science literacy. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Challenger Center. (1999). Introduction to the Challenger Center at UTC [On-line]. Available: http://www.utc.edu/~challctr/info/intro.html

Everyday Learning Corporation. (1999). Everyday Mathematics, Grades K-6 [On-line]. Available: http://www.everydaylearning.com/Pages/everyday.html

McAllister, D., & Bartnik, W. K. (1996a). Preservice teacher education and the web: Shifting paradigms, new partnerships [CD-ROM]. In WebNet 96 (p. 549). Charlottesville, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.

McAllister, D. A., & Bartnik, W. K. (1996b, Fall). The Microsoft-teacher education partnership: An opportunity for improving teaching and learning. Charmed Particles, 4(3), 11-12.

McAllister, D. A., & Sullivan, G. A. [Accepted for fall 1999]. Manipulatives, software, and the Web: Making classroom connections. Tennessee Educational Leadership Journal.

Michigan State University. (1999). Connected Mathematics Project [On-line]. Available: http://www.mth.msu.edu/cmp/index.html

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1989). Curriculum and evaluation standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1997a). Mission mathematics: Grades 5-8. Reston, VA: Author.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1997b). Mission mathematics: Grades K-6. Reston, VA: Author.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1998). Principles and standards for school mathematics: Discussion draft. Reston, VA: Author.

National Research Council. (1996). National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Poppe, B., McAllister, D., & Richardson, L. (1998). Science on the web: Web activities using scientific data. Boulder, CO: Space Environment Center/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Roblyer, M. D., Edwards, J., & Havriluk, M. A. (1997). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Shaw, M. E., & Wright, J. M. (1967). Scales for the measurement of attitudes. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Book Company.

[Dr. McAllister]