INTERACTIONS WITH CURRICULUM: A Study of Beginning Secondary School Mathematics Teachers

The Rice University School Mathematics Project (RUSMP) Summer Campus Program, held each summer since 1987, creates communities of learning that increase PreK-12 teacher’s mathematical knowledge while assisting them in the development of the pedagogical skills necessary to ensure that their increased understanding is transferred to student mathematical learning.

Providing professional development that encourages teachers to examine their beliefs and practice while providing support in mathematics content and pedagogy is an on-going challenge for programs designed to promote implementation of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards. The Summer Campus Program is designed to improve teachers’ content knowledge in mathematics in conjunction with examination of the methods of teaching mathematics embodied in the NCTM Standards. It is founded upon the principle that teachers learn best from their fellow teachers. In keeping with the view that successful professional development must take seriously the need to develop teachers themselves as experts, the Summer Campus program incorporates master teachers who have demonstrated sustained success with innovative instructional practices in their own classrooms. Master Teachers, under the direction of RUSMP’s Directors and university mathematics faculty, are responsible for planning the content of the Summer Campus Program.

The RUSMP approach rests on the assumption that professionalism among mathematics teachers must include: a solid knowledge of mathematics, including the key concepts students must master; awareness of a variety of approaches to instruction and their appropriate use; and the ability to plan and reflect on instruction together with other teachers.