Abstract
An understanding of fractions has proven to be elusive for American students for decades, and yet it is critical to success in mathematics. This study determined the impact of job-embedded online follow-up support for teaching fractions, following a face-to-face program. The study included 9 treatment teachers and 8 control teachers who did not have face-to-face job-embedded classroom support in 2012-2013 following an intensive professional learning series about fractions. Questions that were examined include:
1) What is the impact of the Online Classroom Support (OCS) program of teachers on:
a. teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge?
b. student conceptual understanding of fractions?
c. teachers’ uses of classroom practices conducive to sense-making about fractions?
2) Which design features of the OCS program were most valued by teachers and useful professional
learning tools?
Preliminary results indicate treatment teachers’ increased pedagogical content knowledge improved more than control, and that students of treatment teachers showed more growth on pre a post assessments than did students of control teachers.
1) What is the impact of the Online Classroom Support (OCS) program of teachers on:
a. teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge?
b. student conceptual understanding of fractions?
c. teachers’ uses of classroom practices conducive to sense-making about fractions?
2) Which design features of the OCS program were most valued by teachers and useful professional
learning tools?
Preliminary results indicate treatment teachers’ increased pedagogical content knowledge improved more than control, and that students of treatment teachers showed more growth on pre a post assessments than did students of control teachers.
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