PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This NSF IUSE-funded project advances understanding of how case-based scenarios, or cases, can be designed to engage pre-service teachers (PSTs) in critically analyzing and enacting culturally grounded pedagogy in elementary mathematics and science. This research addresses two persistent challenges in teacher preparation: mitigating deepening inequities in schools and bridging the theory-practice divide. We address these challenges by bringing in-service teacher (IST) expertise in the form of teaching cases into pre-service methods courses to create novel learning opportunities.
PROJECT PERSONNEL
Dr. Tracy Dobie (PI) is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education and Learning Sciences in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah. Dr. Dobie’s research focuses on student engagement and supports for equitable, culturally grounded teaching in K-8 mathematics education. She has experience analyzing teacher discourse and teacher-recorded videos and leading professional development for elementary teachers in online and face-to-face settings.
Dr. Lauren Barth-Cohen (Co-PI) is an Associate Professor of Science Education in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah. She also holds an Adjunct Assistant Professor position in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. Dr. Barth-Cohen’s background is in conceptual learning in physics, and she has experience with design-based research projects.
Dr. Connor K. Warner (Co-PI) is an Associate Professor in the Urban Institute for Teacher Education (UITE) at the University of Utah. Dr. Warner’s scholarship focuses on the interplay of teacher education policy, curriculum, and assessment, particularly focusing on the redesign of university-based teacher preparation to ensure that candidates enter the profession with the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of all learners, particularly those from culturally and linguistically varied backgrounds.
Dr. Lynne Zummo (Co-PI) is an Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah. Dr. Zummo’s research examines social, cultural, and cognitive influences on science learning across contexts. Her methodological expertise is in mixed-methods, and she has experience with computational text analysis.
Amelia Biddle (Graduate Research Assistant) is seeking a master’s degree and secondary teaching licensure through the Department of Education, Culture, and Society at the University of Utah. She is also pursuing a graduate certificate entitled Working with Native Communities.
PROJECT ADVISORY BOARD
Rebecca Ibarra is the Associate Director for Educational Equity at Granite School District in north-central Utah.
Addison Middaugh is an instructional coach at Eagle Bay Elementary in the Davis School District in north-central Utah.
Charlene Pete is the Education Director of the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation (CTGR), whose reservation straddles an isolated rural section of the Utah-Nevada border.
TEACHING CASES
Please click the following link to register for access to our case database: https://educationutah.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8nSNzpLPozlAsnk.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information, contact Dr. Tracy Dobie at tracy.dobie@utah.edu.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The team would like to thank all of the amazing teacher participants from across the state of Utah who lent their experience and expertise in designing these cases.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2142136.
Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.