Update 8/20/2020: This position has been filled. Please keep an eye out for future GA postings. :)

Transforming Undergraduate Mathematics Teacher Preparation using the PrimeD Framework 

A project funded through the National Science Foundation, Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program

Drs. Michele Stites and Chris Rakes seek a graduate research assistant for a multi-year grant project. The grant is housed in the Department of Education of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Science. This project will study the use of a professional development framework to guide teacher preparation programs and improve teacher candidates' classroom practice. The study will address both the systemic and individual challenges found in teacher preparation. The project's professional development is organized into four iterative phases: design, implementation, evaluation, & research. Structural supports of the project include network improvement communities, plan-do-study-act cycles, and coursework. This collaborative project involves partnerships with University of Maryland Baltimore County (lead), University of Central Florida, University of Kentucky, and Berea College. The four-year project aims to structure undergraduate mathematics teacher preparation programs at these four institutions and study the use of the Professional Development: Research, Implementation, and Evaluation framework (PrimeD) to improve teacher preparation programs and teacher candidates' professional practice. Using design-based research, the project will follow a multi-group treatment-only longitudinal, triangulation mixed methods design. The project aims to understand the following research objectives: (i) How well does PrimeD improve program development of undergraduate teacher candidate pedagogical content knowledge in ways that connect to their teaching? (ii) How well does PrimeD improve program development of undergraduate teacher candidates’ preparation to implement research-based teaching strategies? (iii) How well does PrimeD reposition stakeholders (e.g., classroom teachers, field experience supervisors, undergraduate teacher candidates, faculty) as partners, mentors, and co-learners in the program?