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Enhancing Mathematics Teaching and Learning for At-Risk Students: Influences of Reform-based Methodologies and Materials
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Enhancing Mathematics Teaching and Learning for At-Risk Students:
Influences of Reform-based Methodologies and Materials
Purpose
This study evolved out of a commitment to improve mathematics teaching and learning in an alternative high school and to begin to reverse the cycle of educational failure for students labeled “at-risk.” Although research in teacher preparation has explored the ways in which preservice teachers learn to teach mathematics, few studies have focused on how teaching in an alternative high school interacts with and complicates this process. Paralleling the need to improve the preparation of preservice teachers to work with at-risk and other marginalized students is the need for more effective mathematics education programs for at-risk students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of reform-based methodologies and materials on preservice teachers’ instructional strategies and the mathematical development of at-risk students in an alternative high school.
Theoretical Framework
When students’ home resources and experiences differ from the expectations on which school experiences are built (McCarthy & Levin, 1992), they are often at risk of not realizing their personal and academic promise. While the literature suggests that learners are at risk due to factors related to their socioeconomic status, family background, or community, it is more likely that learners are at risk because schools are not meeting their specific educational needs (Baptiste, 1992). For example, mathematics for at-risk learners is typically perceived as a hierarchy of skills that are learned in a particular sequence (Carey, Fennema, Carpenter, & Franke, 1995). Instructional practices reflect teachers’ conceptions which resonate with their own experiences and background (Thompson, 1984; Cooney, 1985; Ernest, 1991; Cabello & Burstein, 1995). Mathematics teachers’ knowledge, conceptions, and attitudes about students and student learning impact the way in which these teachers interact with students in their classrooms (Calderhead, 1984). Because teachers act upon their expectations of students, negative teacher conceptions or low expectations for their students influence classroom practices and may adversely affect student performance (Brophy, 1985). Learners labeled as less capable than their peers are taught less mathematics and are presented with skill-oriented, direct instruction, and practice rather than conceptually-focused instruction promoting problem solving and understanding (Campbell & Langrall, 1993). Rote instruction often fails because it reinforces learners’ negative self-perceptions and deprives them of cognitive stimulation (Silver, Smith, & Nelson, 1995). The current study draws inspiration from these earlier studies and seeks to draw together the findings from these works to inform practice.
Method and Data Sources
The methodological underpinning of this study is derived largely from orientations to research that draw attention to the importance of detailed qualitative fieldwork and the observation and
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Enhancing Mathematics Teaching and Learning for At-Risk Students:
Influences of Reform-based Methodologies and Materials
Purpose
This study evolved out of a commitment to improve mathematics teaching and learning in an
alternative high school and to begin to reverse the cycle of educational failure for students
labeled “at-risk.” Although research in teacher preparation has explored the ways in which
preservice teachers learn to teach mathematics, few studies have focused on how teaching in an
alternative high school interacts with and complicates this process. Paralleling the need to
improve the preparation of preservice teachers to work with at-risk and other marginalized
students is the need for more effective mathematics education programs for at-risk students. The
purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of reform-based methodologies and
materials on preservice teachers’ instructional strategies and the mathematical development of at-
risk students in an alternative high school.
Theoretical Framework
When students’ home resources and experiences differ from the expectations on which school
experiences are built (McCarthy & Levin, 1992), they are often at risk of not realizing their
personal and academic promise. While the literature suggests that learners are at risk due to
factors related to their socioeconomic status, family background, or community, it is more likely
that learners are at risk because schools are not meeting their specific educational needs
(Baptiste, 1992). For example, mathematics for at-risk learners is typically perceived as a
hierarchy of skills that are learned in a particular sequence (Carey, Fennema, Carpenter, &
Franke, 1995).
Instructional practices reflect teachers’ conceptions which resonate with their own experiences
and background (Thompson, 1984; Cooney, 1985; Ernest, 1991; Cabello & Burstein, 1995).
Mathematics teachers’ knowledge, conceptions, and attitudes about students and student learning
impact the way in which these teachers interact with students in their classrooms (Calderhead,
1984). Because teachers act upon their expectations of students, negative teacher conceptions or
low expectations for their students influence classroom practices and may adversely affect
student performance (Brophy, 1985). Learners labeled as less capable than their peers are taught
less mathematics and are presented with skill-oriented, direct instruction, and practice rather than
conceptually-focused instruction promoting problem solving and understanding (Campbell &
Langrall, 1993). Rote instruction often fails because it reinforces learners’ negative self-
perceptions and deprives them of cognitive stimulation (Silver, Smith, & Nelson, 1995). The
current study draws inspiration from these earlier studies and seeks to draw together the findings
from these works to inform practice.
Method and Data Sources
The methodological underpinning of this study is derived largely from orientations to research
that draw attention to the importance of detailed qualitative fieldwork and the observation and
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