Examining the Development of Facilitation Practices and Noticing of Coaches of Prospective Mathematics Teachers (2016-2023)
This research project aims to understand how to better support teacher educators in coaching preservice elementary mathematics teachers during rehearsals of teaching. Rehearsals are simulations of teaching in which a preservice teacher practices teaching a lesson while other preservice teachers act as students. Rehearsals provide the ability to “pause” or interject to allow teacher educators and preservice teachers to exchange questions, suggestions, and reflections about teaching (Lampert et al., 2013). In Study 1, we examined rehearsals of four teacher educators to understand: a) the ways in which interactions during interjections provided differing opportunities for learning for preservice teachers and b) what they noticed when pausing the rehearsal to provide feedback and support. In Study 2, we conducted a design-based research study, collaborating with three teacher educators who participated as researcher participants. Our goals for Study 2 were to understand: a) teacher educators’ learning about providing rehearsal feedback and b) how preservice teachers’ and teacher educators’ interpretations of rehearsal feedback were similar or different. Analyses and dissemination for these studies are ongoing.
Funding: Internal McGill Development Grant (completed); Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant
Research Team Members (Past and Present): Marta Kobiela (PI), Vandana Chandrasekhar, Saba Din, Ashley Cameron, Midhat Kiyani, Enista Sharonne Chiniah, Zhikun Zhang, Chrystal Zhang, Xinyue Chen
Projet ARIM: Processus de Rapprochement des Pratiques D'enseignement de Mathématiques pour Favoriser un Passage plus Harmonieux pour les Élèves lors de Transitions Scolaires (2017-2022)
(Related Project: Partnering to Support Cross-School Coherency: Examining Students' Transitions from Elementary to Secondary Mathematics)
This research project aims to support students’ transitions in mathematics. The design-based research project was part of a larger collaboration with Dr. Claudia Courriveau (PI), Dr. Izabella Oliveira (Co-PI), Dr. Alain Breuleux (Co-PI), and Dr. Marta Kobiela (Co-PI). Marta’s team focused on examining transitions from elementary to secondary mathematics in one English-speaking rural school board. We brought together upper elementary and lower secondary teachers from different schools in monthly professional development meetings led by the school board mathematics consultant. Teachers worked together to learn about, design, and reflect on incorporating one instructional routine into their mathematics teaching in order to foster pedagogical coherence across contexts. We aim to understand: a) how the cross-context community developed over the course of their work together and b) how teachers’ perspectives about school transitions changed over the course of their work together. Analyses and dissemination are ongoing.
Funding: Fonds de Recherche Québec Société et Culture, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Engage Grant
Research Team Members (Past and Present) (for our team): Marta Kobiela (team leader), Scosha Merovitz (Collaborator), Cheryl Cantin (Collaborator), Sophie Pinard, Maria-Josée Bran Lopez, Emma Slobodzian, Azadeh Javaherpour, Ana Nural Laila, Sun Jung Choi, Cherny Ding.
Supporting Prospective Teachers to Engage Students in Constructing and Reasoning about Mathematical Definitions (2017-2022)
(Soutenir les enseignants en formation à guider des élèves dans la construction et le raisonnement sur les définitions mathématiques)
This research project aims to support preservice teachers to learn to engage students in constructing and reasoning about mathematical definitions (what we term defining). This two-year design study (Cobb et al., 2003) took place in a university mathematics teaching methods course for elementary preservice teachers. The designed supports included two components: a) activities to help preservice teachers understand the nature of mathematical definitions and defining and b) opportunities to practice engaging students in definition construction. Our study goals were to understand: a) how preservice learned about the nature of defining and definitions, b) how preservice teachers learned about engaging students in mathematical defining, and c) how engagement with designed supports and interactions with tools and others may have contributed to learning. We have published one paper in the Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (Kobiela et al., 2022). Additional analyses and dissemination are ongoing.
Funding: Fonds de Recherche Québec Société et Culture
Research Team Members (Past and Present): Marta Kobiela (PI), Vandana Chandrasekhar, Hailey Iacono, Sukyung Cho, Kristen Stecher, Martin Ako