Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Sam J. Zigrossi
Program Director
Charles A. Dana Center
The University of Texas at Austin
samz@austin.utexas.edu
www.utdanacenter.org
2011
1
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Agenda:
•  Look at some of the major forces faced by
mathematics teachers and administrators
•  What does the research tell us?
•  Some things to think about
Learning objectives:
•  Discuss what implications the changing environment
has for your job
•  Formulate some ideas about ways you can improve
how you prepare your students for their future
2011
2
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
What are some of the significant forces that administrators
need to manage?
2011
3
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
What are some of the significant forces that mathematics
teachers and administrators need to manage?
Some of the categories include:
•  Reduced budgets
•  Need for more productivity
•  Higher standards
•  Embedding more college and career readiness
skills into the curriculum
•  Measuring teacher effectiveness
•  Managing the technology revolution
•  Others?
2011
4
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
College and career readiness
• What does this mean?
• What will have to be different?
• What role/responsibility do you have?
2011
5
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Review the abstract of the Texas College and Career
Readiness Standards* document.
Looking at the mathematics standards,
• Which are academic and which are nonacademic?
• Do these standards suggest ways you can determine
whether a student in high school is college or career
ready?
*Available on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board website, www.thecb.state.tx.us
2011
6
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
The mathematics CCRS are organized in the following
sections:
Introduction:
Mathematics as a Way of Knowing
. . . Mathematics cannot be viewed solely as a series of
stand-alone courses or a set of specific skills. It must be
also be considered as a source of cross-disciplinary
knowledge that is essential for success in numerous areas
of study.
2011
7
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
The mathematics CCRS are organized in the following
sections:
Introduction:
Understanding and Using These Standards
. . .These key cognitive strategies elevate mathematics
from an exercise in rote memorization to a process of
analysis and interpretation that enables the learner to work
with a range of complex questions, topics, and issues
2011
8
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
The sections of the mathematics CCRS are
I.
Numeric Reasoning
II.
Algebraic Reasoning
III.
Geometric Reasoning
IV.
Measurement Reasoning
V.
Probabilistic Reasoning
VI. Statistical Reasoning
VII. Functions
VIII. Problem Solving and Reasoning
IX. Communication and Representation
X. Connections
2011
9
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Non-academic skills
• Academic tenacity
• Intellectual curiosity
• Self-monitoring
• Developing a dream
2011
10
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
The focus of STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of
Academic Readiness) will be on the Texas College and
Career Readiness Standards at all grade levels.
Example from the mathematics TEKS:
(7.11) Probability and statistics. The student understands that the
way a set of data is displayed influences its interpretation. The student
is expected to:
(B) make inferences and convincing arguments based on an analysis of
given or collected data. [Readiness Standard]
2011
11
This and the following slide are taken from The Future: Next Exit, a PowerPoint presentation
by Dr. Peter Bishop, Associate Professor of Futures Studies at the University of Houston, at the
February 28, 2011, meeting of the Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC).
Available via tbec.org/vipbriefing.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/146108/Least-Educated-LikelyFind-Jobs-2010.aspx
This and the preceding slide are taken from The Future: Next Exit, a PowerPoint presentation by Dr.
Peter Bishop, Associate Professor of Futures Studies at the University of Houston, at the
February 28, 2011, meeting of the Texas Business and Education Coalition (TBEC).
Available via tbec.org/vipbriefing.
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Teacher effectiveness
• What part of the entire education equation does the
teacher affect?
• Is the teacher the most important element in a student s
education?
A look at some research:
Richard Rothstein. (October 14, 2010). How to Fix our
Schools. Economic Policy Institute (available at
www.epi.org/publications/entry/ib286)
See video at boldapproach.org
2011
14
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
HOW TO FIX OUR SCHOOLS
•
2/3 of what affects student education success is based
on the student’s environment
•
1/3 of what affects student education success is based
on the student’s school setting
•
Of the 1/3 that is school setting, teachers are the most
significant element
2011
15
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Poverty is our country s biggest challenge in
education!
Example:
Poverty is associated with mathematics test results, both at
the individual and at the state level. Within any given state,
low-income students get scores around 25 points lower
than well-off students. The states with the lowest
concentration of poverty have scores 20 points higher both
for well-off and for low-income students than do states with
the highest concentration of poverty.
2011
16
Are You Ready to Leap Into the 21st Century—
Because you ll have to!
For almost every type of assessment
A
C
H
I
E
V
M
E
N
T
% POVERTY
2011
17
3,6$0DWKHPDWLFV
8Q LWHG 6WDWHV)/
)LQ ODQ G
6ZLW]HUODQ G
1HWK HUODQ G V
8Q LWHG 6WDWHV)/
3,6$0DWKHPDWLFV6FRUH
*HUPDQ \
,FHODQ G
'HQ PDUN
1R UZD\
)UDQ FH
$XVWULD
6ZHG HQ
6OR YDNLD
%HOJ LXP
3R ODQ G
&]HFK 5HS XEOLF 8Q LWHG .LQ J G R P
+XQ J DU\
/X[HPER XUJ
,UHODQ G
8Q LWHG 6WDWHV
3R UWXJ DO
8Q LWHG 6WDWHV)/
,WDO\
6S DLQ
8Q LWHG 6WDWHV)/
8Q LWHG 6WDWHV)/
&K LOG3RYHUW\5DWHDIWHU7D[HVDQ G7UDQ VIHUV
2011
18
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Poverty is our country s biggest challenge in
education!
The Coleman Report, 1966
James Coleman. Equality of Educational Opportunity.
Adam Gamoran and Daniel A. Long. (2006, December).
Equality of Educational Opportunity: A 40-Year
Retrospective. 27 pages. Available at www.wcer.wisc.edu/
publications/workingpapers/
Working_Paper_No_2006_09.php
2011
19
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Mel Riddile. (December 15, 2010).
PISA: It's Poverty Not Stupid.
Posted in the blog “The Principal Difference: Bridging
Research and Policy to Practice for School Leaders.
Available at http://nasspblogs.org/principaldifference/
2010/12/pisa_its_poverty_not_stupid_1.html
2011
20
Are You Ready to Leap Into the 21st Century—
Because you ll have to!
Resources:
Texas College and Career Readiness Standards.
Available on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board website, www.thecb.state.tx.us
Academic Youth Development
learningandtheadolescentmind.org
Achieving Academic Excellence through Rigor and
Relevance. (Willard R. Daggett, September 2005).
www.leadered.com/pdf/academic_excellence.pdf
2011
21
Are You Ready to Leap Into the 21st Century—
Because you ll have to!
Resources:
A project-based yearlong activity that deals with $.
guide2digitallearning.com/blog_grant_zimmerman/
easily_managed_project (A project on the website Digital Learning
Environments: Tools and Technologies for Effective Classrooms)
Seven Myths About Rigor. (January 13, 2011). mindstepsinc.com/
2011/01/seven-myths-about-rigor
The Future: Next Exit. A PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Peter Bishop,
Associate Professor of Futures Studies at the University of Houston,
at the February 28, 2011, meeting of the Texas Business and
Education Coalition (TBEC). Available via tbec.org/vipbriefing.
.
2011
22
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Technology
Is it a solution and/or a problem?
Can it help with budget issues?
How fast is the technology revolution occurring?
Participation in online courses in K–12 has been
increasing at 43% per year since 2000.
2011
23
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Wrap up
• Is the current model and construct of schooling going to
carry us unto the 21st century?
• It has had its benefits and its challenges
• At the school level, we need to ask ourselves: what do we
need to do to get students ready mathematically for the
unknown future of work and life?
2011
24
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
It must be different from what we are
doing now for the majority of students.
2011
25
Emerging Responsibilities for
Mathematics Teachers and Educators
Resources:
Richard Rothstein. (October 14, 2010). How to Fix our Schools. Economic Policy Institute
(available at www.epi.org/publications/entry/ib286) See video at
boldapproach.orgTexas.
Texas College and Career Readiness Standards. (2009). Available on the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board website, www.thecb.state.tx.us
Heather Staker. (May 2011). The Rise of K–12 Blended Learning: Profiles of emerging
models. Available at www.innosightinstitute.org/blended_learning_models
Bill Ferriter. Making Good Technology Choices. (Teacher Leaders Network: Center for
Teaching Quality). Available at www.teacherleaders.org/node/7149.
2011
26
Emerging Responsibilities for Mathematics
Teachers and Educators
Moving schools into the 21st century
Agenda:
•  Look at some of the major forces faced by
mathematics teachers and administrators
•  What does the research tell us?
•  Some things to think about
Learning objectives:
•  Discuss what implications the changing environment
has for your job
•  Formulate some ideas about ways you can improve
how you prepare your students for their future
2011
27