ERIC Number: EJ833624
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Mar
Pages: 38
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-8251
EISSN: N/A
Transforming Secondary Mathematics Teaching: Increasing the Cognitive Demands of Instructional Tasks Used in Teachers' Classrooms
Boston, Melissa D.; Smith, Margaret S.
Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, v40 n2 p119-156 Mar 2009
Mathematics teachers' selection and implementation of instructional tasks were analyzed before, during, and after their participation in a professional development initiative that focused on selecting and enacting cognitively challenging mathematical tasks. Data collected from 18 secondary mathematics teacher participants included tasks and student work from teachers' classrooms, lesson observations, and interviews. Ten secondary mathematics teachers who did not participate in the professional development initiative served as the contrast group and participated in 1 lesson observation each. Analysis of the data indicated that, following their participation in the professional development initiative, project teachers more frequently selected high-level tasks as the main instructional tasks in their classrooms and had improved the maintenance of high-level cognitive demands. Significant differences existed between project teachers and the contrast group in task selection and implementation. These differences were not influenced by the use of Standards-based or conventional curricula in project teachers' classrooms. (Contains 1 footnote, 8 tables, and 3 figures.)
Descriptors: Mathematics Teachers, Professional Development, Secondary School Teachers, Control Groups, Observation, Task Analysis, Mathematics Instruction, Cognitive Processes, Thinking Skills, Teaching Methods, Classroom Environment
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1502. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-3702; Fax: 703-476-2970; e-mail: orders@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
IES Cited: ED544681