In-service education for elementary school mathematics teachers: responses to nine questions

In-service education for elementary school mathematics teachers: responses to nine questionsAuthor(s): LEONARD M. KENNEDY and ROBERT ALVESSource: The Arithmetic Teacher, Vol. 11, No. 7 (November 1964), pp. 506-509Published by: National Council of Teachers of MathematicsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41186865 .

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Focal point J. Fred Weaver

In-service education for elementary school mathematics teachers: responses to nine questions

LEONARD M. KENNEDY and ROBERT ALVES Sacramento State College1

JtSecause of changes in the elementary school mathematics program, in-service education for teachers of the elementary school has been recognized in recent years as a necessity by many teachers, adminis- trators, and college personnel. The Arith- metic Teacher has from time to time re- ported on in-service programs conducted in various places. In the November, 1963, issue of The Arithmetic Teacher the editor of "Focal point" raised a number of questions about in-service programs.2 Per- sons interested in reacting to the questions were invited to submit their responses to him.3

The writers of this report were working in an in-service program conducted by Sacramento State College at the time the article appeared. The program we were in- volved in made use of a weekly showing of the SMSG film series on KVIE, the local educational television station. This series, which is designed primarily for elementary school teachers, features Dr. H. Stewart Moredock of Sacramento State College in thirty 30-minute lecture demonstrations.

1 Dr. Kennedy is Assistant Professor of Education and Mr. Alves is Assistant Professor of Mathematics on the Sacra- mento (Calif.) State College faculty. * in-service eaucation ana tne teacner, ihe arithmetic Teacher, X (November, 1963), 456-467. • See Editor's Note at the end of this report.

In addition to viewing the television series, the teachers participated in a series of five three-hour discussion sessions during each of the two semesters of the school year. We asked the teachers meeting with us in the discussion groups to respond to the nine questions asked by the editor of "Focal point." This report is based upon the responses received from 58 of these teachers.

The responding teachers were almost evenly distributed on grade levels taught. There were 17 teachers of kindergarten through third grade, 21 teachers of the intermediate grades, and 17 teachers of the seventh and eighth grades. Three ad- ministrators also responded.

In response to the first question, "What mathematical content should be included in the program?", 30 percent of the teachers said the content should be restricted to that which is presented to children in the primary and intermediate grades. An- other 36 percent said the content should extend through that taught in the junior high school. Nearly 20 percent said it should be restricted to or go slightly beyond that of the grade level taught by the teacher. Ten percent believed the content should be comparable to a college freshman-level class dealing with concepts

506 The Arithmetic Teacher



and structure of mathematical systems. Very few of the teachers believed the

program should deal exclusively with content; only two teachers responded with this answer. The remainder of those who answered the second question asserted that the course should deal with both content and implications for the elementary school, including methods and materials. In response to whether content and method should be closely interwoven, 57 percent of the teachers said it should. None said that the two should be kept separate, although more than one-third gave no indication about how the content and method should be related.

The respondents were almost evenly divided on whether an in-service course should be voluntary or compulsory (question number three), with 27 saying it should be voluntary and 29 saying it should be compulsory. Sixty percent of the participants believed the program should be held at a time when teachers were freed of teaching responsibilities (question number four). About half that many said it should be on the teachers7 own time.

In answer to question number five, all 58 teachers said that credit should be allowed for in-service training. Forty-five teachers said college credit should be granted; 33 said local credit should be given. (There was a number of teachers who said that both types of credit should be given. Also, most teachers who responded with refer- ence to college credit alone probably had district credit in mind, too, inasmuch as all districts in the Sacramento area give credit for college units earned after the granting of the credential.)

Most of the teachers favored college personnel as instructors (question number six). Of the 39 who indicated that college personnel should teach the course, 25 preferred an instructor with a mathematics education background. Only two wanted a college instructor with a "pure mathematics" background; 12 did not indicate the type of instructor they preferred. Thirteen teachers believed that

any person qualified by virtue of training and experience should teach the course.

In response to question number seven on the amount of time to be devoted to the program, most of the teachers said the program should be for less than a year. Most of them also indicated that they would prefer to have frequent, condensed sessions and to meet for two hours at a time.

According to these teachers, a variety of techniques should be applied to the teaching of an in-service program. Of the 53 respondents to question eight, 22 said only that a variety of techniques should be used. Twenty-seven specified the lecture technique, in addition to one or more other types of presentation. Twenty-one of these respondents said that a textbook should be used.

Fifty-one of 55 participants answering the last question said that principals and supervisors should be required to take an in-service course. Most of them said it should be the same course as the one taken by the teachers.

A more detailed analysis of the teachers' responses to the nine major questions is presented below.

1 What mathematical content should be included in the program? Should it be restricted to the mathematical content of the elementary school curriculum, or should it go beyond this in scope? How far beyond? How sophisticated an approach should be taken to the content included in the in-service program? No more sophisticated than that used with the elementary school pupil himself? Content of primary and intermediate grades 14 Content of elementary and junior high school 20 Content restricted to or slightly beyond grade level taught 11 Content of college freshman-level class dealing with concepts and structure of mathematical systems 6 Content through high school 1 Unclassifiable 5

2 Should the in-service program deal exclusively with subject matter background, or should it

November 1964 507



include implications for the elementary school classroom? Should it deal with instructional methods and materials? To what extent should the "mathematical" and the "pedagogical" be kept separate? Or should they be closely interwoven?

Subject matter only 2 Subject matter and methods (incl. materials) 52 o) Subject matter and methods sepa-

rate 0 b) Subject matter and methods inter-

woven 33 c) No response on how to present sub-

ject matter and methods 19

52 Unclassifiable 1

55

3 Should the in-service program be compulsory or voluntary? If compulsory, should it be for all teachers, or only for some? If only for some, for which ones?

Compulsory 29 a) For all elementary teachers 17 b) For some elementary teachers 10

(1) Those teaching mathematics 3 (2) Those who have had no

course 5 (3) Those who cannot demon-

strate competency 1 (4) No further response 1

10 c) No further response 2

29 Voluntary 27

56

4 Should "released time" be provided for the in-service program, or should it be carried out other than during "school time"? Released time 33 Teachers' own time 18 Combination of released time and teachers' own time 2 Unclassifiable 2

55

5 Should any kind of credit be given for par- ticipation in the in-service program? If so, what kind(s) : Local professional credit only? College or university credit also? Should there be any distinction between these two kinds of credit? Credit not allowed 0

Credit allowed 58 o) Local professional credit 33 *t b) College or university credit 45 *t c) No distinction as to type given 4

58

6 Who should serve as leaders or consultants for in-service programs? Local supervisors or directors of mathematics? Local teachers: Elementary school? Second- ary school? Persons in similar positions but from "outside" school systems? College or university personnel : In mathematics education positions? In "pure mathematics" positions? Local supervisors or consultants 7 Local teachers 5 a) Elementary 2 b) No grade level distinction made 3 Outside the system 4 College or university personnel 39 a) Mathematics education positions 25 b) "Pure mathematics" 2 c) No distinction made 12

39 Any qualified person, regardless of position 13

68Î

7 Should the in-service program extend through- out a school year? Less than a school year? Less frequent sessions over a longer period of time, or more frequent sessions over a shorter span? One-hour sessions? Two-hour sessions? School year 11 Less than school year 23 Whatever time is necessary 8 Less frequent, spread-out sessions 6 Frequent, condensed sessions 23 One-hour sessions 6 Two-hour sessions 29 Three-hour sessions 1 Summer program 1 Geared to college semesters 1

8 What instructional methods and materials are appropriate: Lectures? Textbooks? If so, which one(s)?

* There are more replies under the sub-heads than the total responses because some people indicated that both types of credit should be given. In such cases, the type of credit allowed would depend upon who taught the course. If college or university personnel taught it, college or university credit should be given; if district personnel taught it, local credit only should be given.

t A few persons indicated that, when released time is given district credit only should be given. If the time is the teachers' own, then college credit should be given.

Î The responses total more than 58. Several persons said that more than one type of person could serve as a leader, de- pending upon the type of program offered.

508 The Arithmetic Teacher



Films? TV? Programmed materials? Other possibilities? Lectures 27 Textbooks 21 a) Children's text 2 b) SMSG (Vol. IX, Brief Course) 3 c) Unspecified 16

21 Films 7 TV 10§ Programmed materials 7 Others 8 1| Variety 22 Student worksheets (homework) 2

9 What about in-service for principals, supervisors, etc.? Should they participate in the same program as do the teachers, or should there be a special program for them? Do they need any program at all?

Principals 2 Supervisors 1 Both 51

54

Same as teacher's program 44 Special program 12 Unclassifiable 1

57#

§ Thirty SMSG film series used as part of workshop teachers were participating in.

D Includes models, charts, observation of teachers working with children.

# Totals do not agree because some people said principals and supervisors should have the same program as the teachers, plus additional work to prepare them for administrative or supervisory work.

Summary A program which follows the suggestions

given by these 58 teachers and administra-

tors would provide the content of the grades at or near the level taught by the teacher; would have content and methods interwoven; be compulsory for all teachers, principals, and supervisors; be given on released time for college and local professional credit during a time-span of less than a school year in frequent two-hour sessions, and be taught by a college instructor who uses a variety of teaching techniques, including lectures.

Editor's note - Your editor greatly ap- preciates the preceding form of response to the questions he raised in the Novem- ber, 1963, issue of this journal. The reactions summarized by Professors Kennedy and Alves hopefully will help many persons who contemplate in-service programs in mathematics education for elementary school personnel.

Your editor also wishes to express his appreciation to two other persons who in- dividually submitted personal reactions to the same nine major questions: Mrs. Walter Z. Fort, Pemberton Junior School, Pemberton, N.J., and H. Yates Satterlee, Jr., Laguna Blanca School, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Finally, your editor wishes to thank Alan Fisher of the Portland, Oregon, Public Schools for sharing with him the reactions from 16 persons who participated in an in-service course directed by Mr. Fisher.

"If one of the purposes of schooling is to help children carefully to consider questions and answers in search of the best of several possible interpretations and answers, then children's anxiety or predisposition to worry about failure when faced with questions is a hindrance. Ex- perimental evidence has shown that threats to

self-esteem, such as censure or invidious com- parisons, increase the tendency to arrive at quick conclusions." - Frederick F. Lighthall in "Anxiety as Related To Thinking and Forget- ting," Bulletin 30, What Research Says to the Teacher, Department of Classroom Teachers and American Educational Research Association

November 1964 509



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In-service education for elementary school mathematics teachers: responses to nine questions