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Middle-school Mathematics and the Institutional Setting of Teaching (MIST) Project

Item

Title
Middle-school Mathematics and the Institutional Setting of Teaching (MIST) Project
Abstract/Description
MIST is an ongoing project that is investigating the following question: What does it take to support mathematics teachers' development of ambitious and equitable instructional practices on a large scale.

The research base on supporting mathematics teachers' development of ambitious instructional practices at scale is thin in both mathematics education and in policy and leadership.

Funding agencies including NSF have invested heavily in ambitious agendas for teacher professional development in mathematics. Prior large-scale improvement efforts that have attempted to penetrate the instructional core of the classroom have rarely produced lasting changes in teachers' instructional practices.

This project is examining the school and district settings in which teachers work in order to enhance the impact of professional development on classroom instruction and student mathematics achievement.

Prior NSF-funded initiatives made an important contribution by focusing on a single aspect of the institutional settings in which mathematics teachers develop and revise their instructional practices: either 1) Principals' knowledge of mathematics and their beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning; 2) The content, pedagogical, and diagnostic knowledge necessary for leaders to assist mathematics teachers effectively; or 3) Districts' use of instructional guidance tools such as pacing guidelines and alignment charts.

The primary goal of MIST is to investigate, test, and refine a set of conjectures regarding the organizational arrangements, social relations, and material resources needed to enhance the impact of professional development on mathematics teachers' instructional practices and thus student achievement. In addressing this goal, we will take a comprehensive view of the institutional setting of mathematics teaching rather than focusing on a single aspect.
[Excerpted from MIST Project Website]
Date
2007
Resource type
Entity type
Research Project/Team
IRE Approach/Concept
Design Research Partnership (DRP)
Large-Scale Improvement
Theory of Action for Instructional Improvement at Scale
Primary national context
Other related resources/entities
Project Publication List (via MIST Project Website)
Citation
Middle-school Mathematics and the Institutional Setting of Teaching (MIST) Project. (n. d.). Retrieved May 1, 2022 from https://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/departments/tl/teaching_and_learning_research/mist/
Funded by grant
ESI-0554535 (National Science Foundation)
DRL-1119122

Linked resources

Items with "Featured case/project: Middle-school Mathematics and the Institutional Setting of Teaching (MIST) Project"
Title Class
Accounting for How Practitioners Frame a Common Problem of Practice: Students’ Struggle in Mathematics Conference Paper
An Empirically Grounded System of Supports for Improving the Quality of Mathematics Teaching on a Large Scale Journal Article
Assessing Research-Practice Partnerships: Five Dimensions of Effectiveness Report
Coordinating Leadership Supports for Teachers’ Instructional Improvement Journal Article
Cross-National Research on Continuous Improvement Bibliography
Educational Design Research to Support System-Wide Instructional Improvement Book Chapter
Interview with Anne Wilhelm: "Examining Relations Between Mathematics Teachers’ Instructional Vision and Knowledge and Change in Practice" (Episode 1702) Podcast
Interview with Charles Munter: "Developing Visions of High-Quality Mathematics Instruction" (Episode 1422) Podcast
Interview with Charles Munter: "Examining Relations Between Mathematics Teachers’ Instructional Vision and Knowledge and Change in Practice" (Episode 1702) Podcast
Interview with Kara Jackson: "Exploring Relationships Between Setting Up Complex Tasks and Opportunities to Learn in Concluding Whole-Class Discussions in Middle-Grades Mathematics Instruction" (Episode 1317) Podcast
Math Ed Podcast (Episode 1705): Paul Cobb on Improving Teaching at Scale Podcast
Organizing Research and Development at the Intersection of Learning, Implementation, and Design Journal Article
Systems for Instructional Improvement: Creating Coherence from the Classroom to the District Office Book
The Work of Improvement Book Chapter

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