Ivan ChengCalifornia State University Northridge

IEEE Region 6 EABTeacher In-Service Program

April 5, 2008

SupportingMathematics and Science

Teachers:Challenges and Opportunities

in California Schools

What is the Context?

• Projected U.S. demand for:Scientists will be up 17% andEngineers will be up by 22%

by 2014• 56% of engineering Ph.D.s in the U.S. are awarded to foreign born students.

• In 2004, China graduated 350,000 with 4-year degrees in STEM fields, compared with only 140,000 in the U.S.

Challenges

What is the Context?

• Each year 1.2 million students drop out of high school.

• Only 45% of LAUSD students complete graduation requirements..

• Failure in algebra “triggers dropouts more than any single subject” according to former Superintendent Roy Romer.

Challenges

What is the Problem?

“Students who do not have a deep understanding of mathematics suspect that it is just a jumble of unrelated procedures and incomprehensible formulas.”

Mathematics Frameworkfor California Public Schools (2005), p. 5

Challenges

What is Needed?

“Instrumental understanding … is what I have in the past described as ‘rules without reasons’…

“In contrast, learning relational mathematics consists of building up a conceptual structure (schema) from which its possessor can (in principle) produce an unlimited number of plans for getting from any starting point within his schema to any finishing point.”

Richard Skemp (1976)

Opportunities

Deficit “Empty Vessel” Model

PD

Opportunities

Applying Six Sigma Principles

• A business term for describing the improvement process

• Refers to the number of standard deviations required to achieve “3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO)”

• For 3.8 million ninth graders each year, this means fewer than 13 will fail!!!

Opportunities

Applying Six Sigma Principles

• Process focuses on specific projects.

• Each project focuses on specific outcomes with decisions driven by evidence.

• Each project limited to specific timeframe.

• Supported by “green belts,” “black belts,” and “champions.”

Opportunities

Opportunities

IEEE Teacher In-Service Program

• Consider the local school context• Use teachers’ knowledge to generate solutions to their students’ learning needs

• Focus on student learning rather than teacher improvement

• Use a well defined time frame for the work

• Provide resources rather than mandate strategies or curricula

Professional Development as a Lever

Knowledge

StudentLearning &Achievement

Opportunities

IEEE Teacher In-Service Program

Thank You

Ivan Cheng icheng@csun.eduwww.csun.edu/~icheng

Joe Morgan joemorgan@earthlink.netIEEE Region 6 EAB

Teacher In-Service ProgramApril 5, 2008

What is Algebra?

• What is the algebra that students need?

• Each year, approximately 1200 Ph.D.s are awarded in mathematics.

• Each year there are approximately 3.8 million ninth graders.

• This means only 0.03% of the student population go on to study advanced math.

Challenges

What is Algebra?

Challenges