Faculty Academy for Mathematics Excellence with Middle School Educators (FAME)

FAME is a one-year professional development program for sixth grade through tenth grade math teachers designed to close the achievement gap among students in algebra courses. The BlendedFAME program begins with orientation on May 12, 2018. The Summer Institute runs 6/20, 6/21, 6/22 and 6/25, and 6/26 and continues online for 30 more hours. There are an additional four in-person follow-ups and enrichment sessions during the academic year. You will also take two additional units of FASTtech (LINC) courses at Foothill College to further your learning.

The Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College (KCI) has created a professional development program for mathematics teachers designed to increase student achievement in pre-algebra and algebra courses, reduce the achievement gap between well- and underserved students, and promote the use of technology to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics. The Faculty Academy for Mathematics Excellence (FAME) program will provide 30 mathematics teachers in California with an intensive professional development experience that will deepen their math content knowledge and expand their repertoire of mathematics instruction strategies. A unique feature of FAME is the integration of educational technologies that supports math instruction and demonstration of strategies for teaching math with technology. In addition we plan to have a series of follow-up sessions in the 2018-19 academic year to support the teacher participants as they implement new math teaching strategies.

The need to increase middle and high school student achievement in mathematics and better train middle and high school math teachers in California is urgent. There is growing pressure on California schools to require all students take Algebra I course in the eighth grade or earlier to meet Federal mandates and because students who successfully complete this course are more likely to take advanced mathematics courses in high school and pursue higher education than those who do not. However many teachers, principals and parents believe that nearly half of the eighth grade student population is not ready for Algebra I. In order to prepare students for success in Algebra I, the quality of math instruction must be increased.

Conceptual Framework:

The conceptual framework of FAME is based in part on the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge framework (TPACK) which argues that effective technology integration for teaching specific content or subject matter requires understanding and negotiating the relationships between technology, pedagogy and content knowledge. For teaching math with technology teachers need

    • Content Knowledge (CK) [knowing math]
    • Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) [knowing how to teach math]
    • Technology Knowledge (TK) knowing technology tools, processes]
    • Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) [knowing how to use technology to teach math

Objectives:

The FAME program has progressed to building program objectives from conceptual frameworks. We expect to launch the objectives of the FAME program to include the following:

    1. increase teachers' knowledge of key pre-algebra and algebra concepts, for example factors & multiples, probability, and linear relationships
    2. Guide teachers to make connections between school mathematics, the California Mathematics standards, and the ELD standards; and
    3. Enable teachers to use differentiated mathematical instructional strategies to address the needs of English language learners;
    4. Develop and encourage the use of technology in the curriculum to support and enhance math teaching and learning; and
    5. Increase the use of technology for visualization and multiple representations of pre-algebra and algebra concepts

Objectives 4 and 5 address educational technology integration which is the core of the KCI mission. FAME will use technologies like virtual manipulatives or GeoGebra and Desmos software, which can help teach specific topics like functions or operations involving fractions. Emphasis will be given to training math teachers in the use mobile devices like Chromebooks and tablets (iPad / Android) to manipulate and control other devices. (Spheros and others)

Evaluation

The KCI will evaluate the impact of the FAME program using three types of assessment data:

    1. Teacher-participants' pre- and post-program math content knowledge using the Content Knowledge for Mathematics Teaching (CKMT) instrument,
    2. Student CST scores; and
    3. Student pass rate data

Program Design

The incentivized teacher professional development model used for FAME has been successfully implemented at the KCI for other programs over the past eight years. Teachers receive 10.5 college credits for participation in the one-year FAME program and a $600 stipend including orientation, the summer program, courses, and follow up sessions. (FAME participants pay for 4.5 units, and KCI pays for 6 units.)

Program Leadership Team

    • Gay Krause, Executive Director, Krause Center for Innovation
    • Lisa DeLapo, Innovator-in-Residence, Krause Center for Innovation
    • Ed Campos, Blended FAME Director, Krause Center for Innovation
    • Michele Giles, Blended FAME Asst. Director, Krause Center for Innovation