Improving Mathematics Discourse Among Students: Results and Lessons Learned from a 4-Year Study
Authors: Tom Dick, Dave Weaver

Contents
Print Poster
« Back to Poster Hall
1. Context of the Work
Next »

The Oregon Mathematics Leadership Institute (OMLI) is a 5-year project funded by the National Science Foundation under the Mathematics and Science Partnership program. OMLI is a partnership between Oregon State University, Portland State University, Teachers Development Group, 10 Oregon school districts, and RMC Research Corporation. In its fifth year of operation, OMLI is working to build a cadre of school- and district-based intellectual leaders and master mathematics teachers through a series of intensive summer institutes and follow-up academic year professional development. The summer institutes combine rigorous and relevant mathematics content coursework with leadership development workshops and seminars. Academic year activities facilitate the ongoing development of collaborative professional learning communities composed of K-12 teachers, school administrators, and higher education faculty within each participating school. These activities promote and sustain systemic mathematics reform to increase student achievement in mathematics. OMLI activities are based on the belief that understanding and facilitating meaningful mathematics achievement requires a focus on the learner and an emphasis on all levels of student discourse around important concepts in mathematics. OMLI activities are also intended to impact the K-12 classroom learning communities, teacher professional learning communities, and the OMLI learning community of higher education faculty and K-12 teacher leaders and administrators.

The School Leadership Team (SLT) role is an important aspect of the OMLI project. Each of the 82 participating schools has established an SLT that includes at least 1 school administrator and 2 teacher leaders. The SLT teachers attend all 3 of the 3 week summer institutes (1 each summer for 3 years beginning July 2005) and the SLT administrator attends each of the 3 summer institutes for 1 week. In August 2007 OMLI completed the third of the 3 summer institutes. Each SLT coordinates 4 site visits conducted by Teachers Development Group (TDG) each academic year, develops and implements an action plan for improving the mathematics teaching and learning that takes place in their school, and provides professional development and support to the other mathematics teachers in their school as needed. The SLT administrators also participate in the school year activities.

The SLT structure is based on the premise that the summer institute experiences will develop participants' content expertise and the leadership skills, which will in turn enable each SLT to implement an effective reform plan that results in improved teaching and learning and improved student achievement in mathematics. To accomplish this, each SLT conducts monthly professional development activities with the larger group of teachers of mathematics in each participating school. TDG developed a number of professional learning tasks from which the SLT may choose and applied to address the needs of the teaching staff in each school. The professional learning tasks provide flexibility to fit the contest within the school while providing enough structure to keep the participants focused on improving student learning.

This session will focus on the how the OMLI project focused on increasing the quantity and quality of mathematics discourse among students and what impact that effort had at improving student achievement.