Technology for Technology for Pre-service Pre-service TeachersTeachers

Technology for Technology for Pre-service Pre-service TeachersTeachers

N. LeveilleSeptember 11, 2007

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

2

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

University Characteristics

• Diverse student population• Mid-sized• Urban• Open admissions

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

3

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

Courses for Pre-Service Elementary and Middle School Teachers

• Three semester hours credit each• College Algebra, or equivalent, is

the mathematics pre-requisite• Junior level

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

4

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

Math Concepts I Topics

• Arithmetic with whole, fraction, and decimal numbers

• Place value and various number bases

• Diverse historical number systems• Problem solving

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

5

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

Math Concepts II Topics

• Probability and statistics• Relationships among lines, planes, angles,

and polygons• Calculate measures in up to three

dimensions• Convert volume, capacity, mass and

temperature in English and metric systems

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

6

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

Problem

• Poor achievement results in United States K-12 mathematics programs

• Demands from U. S. business, education, and mathematics communities stress need in modern society for fluency in numeracy and quantitative reasoning (Farrell, 2002; Lutzer, 2005; NCTM, 2000; Steen, 2002, 2004)

• Teacher content and pedagogical knowledge needed for effective teaching (Betts, Zau, & Rice, 2003; Carter, 2005; Darling-Hammond, Holtzman, Gatlin & Heilig, 2005; Gehrke, 2005; Henke, Peter, Li, & Geis, 2005; Santos & Santos, 2005)

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

7

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

In order to increase the time and effort pre-service teachers spend on homework, studying for tests, and working on their mathematics courses in general, the textbook publisher’s on-line homework materials were required.

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

8

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

The students’ increase in time and effort was anticipated to lead to an increase in knowledge and thus to an increase in the mathematical abilities and confidence of the pre-service teachers. Higher grades and fewer students dropping the course would be evidence of improvement.

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

9

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

Figure 1. Grades Prior to Homework Via Technology Requirements

A20%

B29%C

24%

D8%

F8%

W11%

A

B

C

D

F

W

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

10

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

Figure 2. Grades With Homework Via Technology Requirements

A23%

B29%

C23%

D9%

F8%

W8%

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

11

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

Results• Positive student response• Homework grade reflects quality and

quantity• Course evaluation rating

improvement• Faculty workload decreased due to a

reduction in grading

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

12

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

Examples of on-line homework resources:

http://mymathlab.comhttp://www.coursecompass.com

Examples of other uses of technology:

• class set of calculators• classroom presentation computer

Mathematics Education in a Global Community, 9th

13

Technology for Pre-service Teachers

.