Innovative Curricula: Catalysts for Reform in Mathematics Teacher Education

Abstract

This article explores the potential of innovative, reform-based, middle school mathematics curricula to impact the professional development of teachers. Specifically, this 4-year study ( N = 131 participants) examined the degree to which repeated experiences with reformbased curriculum activities impacted prospective teachers' mathematical content knowledge, their thinking about how children learn mathematics, and the formation of their philosophical perspectives and pedagogical strategies. Findings and assertions were drawn from multiple data sources (interviews, discussions, classroom observations, student work, etc.) collected throughout the duration of the project. The findings suggest meaningful shifts in the perspectives of these teachers with respect to mathematics teaching and learning and show indications of growth in their own content and pedagogical content knowledge.The purpose of this article is to discuss the potential of using reform-based, middle school mathematics curricula as an educative agent for professional development and, in particular, for preservice teacher education. I t explores the degree to which repeated experiences with these curriculum materials can ( 1 ) impact prospective teachers' mathematical knowledge, competency, and confidence; (2) impact the ways in which prospective teachers think about how children learn mathematics; and (3) impact the formation of prospective teachers' philosophies and pedagogical practices. Given these three research goals, this article explores not only how the use of innovative K-12 materials appeared to impact the participants in this study but, more important, why these effects were observed. Toward that end, the article presents a framework to help guide the mathematics education community toward more effective teacher preparation. Theoretical FrameworkThe U.S. mathematics education community has narrowed the distance between the vision and the actual practice of reform-based teaching and learning in our schools. Yet recent writings in our field continue to indicate how difficult it can be for many teachers to fully embrace these pedagogical and curricular reforms. We know, for example, just how rigid and rote the typical U.S. instruction appears when compared to instruction in other countries around the world (Stigler &. Hiebert, 1999). Ma's (1999) captivating comparison of U.S. and Chinese teachers speaks volumes about the deficits many U.S. elementary teachers bring to the classroom with respect to their own inathematical content knowledge and related pedagogical sophistication. Similarly, Heaton's (2000) account of her own growth and development as a mathematics teacher points to the struggles that even reform-

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