Overview
Nebraska Algebra Teacher Application Period Now Open
Applications should be received or postmarked by November 30, 2009, to be considered as part of the first review of applications. Applications received after that date will be considered on a space available basis.
Nebraska Algebra is a NebraskaMATH program focused on the goal of extending success in algebra to all students. As such, the program is both a 2-week summer institute and an academic year initiative in which NebraskaMATH will work with partner districts that share the goal of building the capacity to successfully teach Algebra I to all students.
Algebra I is recognized as a “gateway” course. Students who successfully complete Algebra I often continue to pursue the study of high school mathematics that prepares them for college, while students who are unsuccessful in Algebra I find their path to success blocked. Thus, while districts are often successful in offering Algebra I in middle school to their best prepared students, others arrive in high school not yet ready to take Algebra I. Some districts are experimenting with versions of “Extended Algebra” where students who are behind grade level take mathematics for two periods each day. Others may offer Algebra I over a two-year period.
Nebraska Algebra seeks to encourage districts to adopt the goal of having all students succeed in Algebra I and, to the extent possible, to do so by the end of Grade 9 (or Grade 10 at the latest). Thus, while any Algebra I teacher in Nebraska can apply for admission to the Nebraska Algebra program, priority in the first two years of the program will go to teachers who represent districts that share this goal of succeeding with all their students and are prepared to make the financial commitment necessary to pursue this goal. In addition, a participant in Nebraska Algebra will need to teach at least one Algebra I course in the two academic years following his or her participation in a summer institute.
Program Overview
Nebraska Algebra is a year-long comprehensive professional development program for Algebra 1 teachers. Due to the generous support of the National Science Foundation, we will be able to support four cohorts of Nebraska Algebra teachers with the first cohort beginning in Summer 2009. During the weeks of June 22– 26 and June 29 – July 3, participants will take two integrated courses – Learning Algebra for Teaching Algebra and Cognitive and Motivational Aspects of Teaching Mathematics and earn six hours of graduate credit. During the academic year following their participation in the Nebraska Algebra summer institute, teachers will return to the classroom and work with an instructional coach or teaching mentor as they strive to transfer knowledge gained in the summer institute into improved classroom practice. In addition, participants will take a year-long pedagogy class focused on enhancing their ability to teach algebra to all students and to becoming a reflective practitioner.
Financial Benefits for Nebraska Algebra participants
As a participant in the Nebraska Algebra initiative, teachers will earn 9 graduate hours at no cost to the teacher for tuition or fees. In addition, Nebraska Algebra teachers will receive a $150 per day stipend during the two-week summer institute. Teachers who live outside the Lincoln area will receive financial support to cover the cost of travel, housing and meals while in Lincoln.
Instructional Format
The Nebraska Algebra Summer Institute will use the concentrated immersion approach developed by the Math in the Middle program. For two weeks, classes will meet 8-5 daily (Monday-Friday) with nightly homework. At the end of a course, teachers will complete an End-of-Course Assignment designed to support the long-term retention of material studied in the course. Thus, teachers will be able to earn 6 graduate credits during the summer while being in class for only two weeks. While this approach is intense, support for participants is substantial. This approach has proved to be quite popular with teachers because it protects most of the summer for other activities.
During the academic year, participants will work with their UNL instructor on coursework and with their instructional coach or mentor to discuss pedagogical issues connected to teaching algebra with an emphasis on working with student populations that traditionally have not been successful in learning algebra. During the spring semester, the work will center on planning lessons and will incorporate select features associated with what is known as Lesson Study. Participants will observe one of their peers teach a lesson, followed by a group lesson debriefing and analysis of student understanding.
During the academic year following the summer institute, districts (or ESUs) will be expected to support their teacher participants by providing instructional coaches or master teacher mentors and by providing teachers with two days of release time each semester to enable them to participate in the Nebraska Algebra initiative. (See below for our definition of these two terms.) In addition, there will be some work completed using UNL’s Blackboard web site and an occasional study group meeting after school.
Definitions
To avoid any misunderstanding of NebraskaMATH’s expectations with respect to supporting teachers in their efforts to grow as a successful professional, we offer our understanding of the terms mentor and instructional coach.
Mentor - A mentor is a colleague assigned to or matched with a beginning teacher whose primary responsibility is to help the new teacher be more reflective in his/her work. The mentor operates in an informal and non-structured manner to provide basic guidance, as requested by the teacher, about mathematics and/or mathematics teaching. Mentoring is a power free, two-way mutually beneficial relationship. A mentor provides advice, shares knowledge and experiences, and teaches using a low-pressure, self-discovery approach.
Instructional Coach - An instructional coach is a teacher designated by the district as a master teacher who is also skilled at dealing with adult learners and has specific responsibilities to promote instructional growth among teachers. An instructional coach is relieved from a portion or his/her entire teaching assignment for the purpose of providing intense instructional support to teachers, for the express purpose of improving instruction and student achievement. The coach operates in an official district capacity and within the parameters of the district's formal structure, but is not charged with evaluating the teacher's performance. The coach observes a teacher's lessons and provides detailed feedback; supports teachers and/or teams of teachers in planning effective lessons; demonstrates lessons in teachers' classrooms; and designs and delivers necessary professional development. Coaches can be called upon to work with specific teachers either by the teacher himself/herself, the teacher's principal, or other designated district instructional leaders.
