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Improving Teacher Quality

Strategic Alliance of Robla/UC-Davis/Sacramento County Office of Ed.

Grant Number: 07-413

Grant Award: $273,127

Duration of Project: Monday, October 01, 2007 - Friday, September 30, 2011

Project Subject Areas: Mathematics

Grade Band: K-2

Institutes of Higher Education:

  • University of California, Davis

Local Education Agencies:

  • Robla Elementary, Sacramento

Partners:

  • Sacramento County Office of Education

Number of teachers/principals/highly qualified paraprofessionals participating in the project:

26

Goals:

  • promote the development of children’s conceptual understanding of mathematics including their concept of number, their ability to write and solve word problems, and their knowledge of shape classification.
  • promote children’s English language and literacy development through writing problems and discussing strategies
  • promote the development of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1986) in particular their knowledge of how children's strategies in mathematics develop
  • promote teachers’ abilities to engage children in discussions of their mathematical thinking

Activities:

In monthly meetings teachers will analyze videos of interviews to better understand the development of children's mathematical thinking and ways in which they can support children's strategy development through discussion. Aliance members collaboratively design and revise multiple-entry math problems and activities based on analysis of children strategies. Allinace members learn about strategy change as an overarching theory of children's cognitive development.
In their classrooms, teachers will conduct problem solving interviews with their students with support from project staff. They will engage their students in multiple-entry problems and activities and orchestrate discussion of children's strategies and collect student work to bring back to meetings for discussion.

Anticipated Outcomes:

Children in Strategic Alliance classrooms will have greater number knowledge, more sophisticated solution strategies and better understanding of shape classification than children in control classooms.
Children in Strategic Allinace classrooms will be more capable of explaining their strategies and discussing mathematical ideas than children in control classrooms. Teachers will develop knowledge of children's strategy development and develop skills in supporting children in solving problems and discussing their strategies.

Contacts:

Institute of Higher Education: Rebecca Ambrose, Project Director/RD, rcambrose@ucdavis.edu
Institute of Higher Education: Tom Sallee, Co-Director, sallee@math.ucdavis.edu
Local Education Agency: Cindy Zettel, LEA Co-Director, czettel@robla.k12.ca.us

Questions, Comments, Corrections?

Send an e-mail to Teacher_Quality@cpec.ca.gov .