SOURCES OF URBAN EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE CONFERENCE

Alonzo Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence

2008 Annual Conference

Georgia State University

Atlanta, Georgia

April 26, 2008

CALL FOR PRESENTERS

Theme: Sources of Urban Educational Excellence

DIRECTIONS: Proposals must be word-processed to be considered. Presenter(s) must submit one copy of the proposal packet via e-mail to . Proposals must be complete in order to be considered.

EMAILED SUBMISSIONS:

MUST be received NO LATER THAN 12:00 a.m. EST March 10, 2008

Proposals can also be delivered in person to:

The Alonzo A. Crim Center (leave at front desk)

30 Pryor Street, Suite 350

Atlanta, GA 30302

MUST be received by March 10, 2008 in order to be considered.

PROPOSAL PAGE ONE

Section A: Proposal Cover Page

Title of Presentation: The Impact of a Field-Based Mathematics Methods Course on the Teaching Efficacy of Pre-service Teachers

Authors: Cassandra Matthews

Lead Presenter (contact person): Cassandra Matthews

Position/Job title: Teacher Mentor

Institution/Organization: Nesbit Elementary School/Gwinnett County Public Schools

Address: 6575 Cherokee Drive

City: Tucker State: GA Zip Code: 30032

Day Phone: (770 ) 414-2760 Evening Phone: (678) 231-7669

Fax: (770 ) 414-2757 Email:

This presenter is also submitting a proposal on (title):

PROPOSAL PAGES THREE AND FOUR

Section B: Proposal (not to exceed 2 double-spaced pages)

Project Description:

Describe the project or paper you will be presenting. Information should include:

· A description of the research or classroom practices, including relevance to conference theme, significance of content, and objective(s) of presentation.

· Target audience: Who will benefit most from attending this presentation?

·  How will attendees benefit from the presentation?

The objective of my presentation is to share the findings of my research study surrounding the impact of a site based math methods courses on the teaching efficacy of pre-service teachers. Nesbit Elementary is one of several schools in the Gwinnett district which serves as a Professional Development School for Georgia State University. One of the facets of this partnership is for methods courses to be held on our campus in addition to placing the pre-service teachers enrolled in these courses with cooperating teachers in our building. My presentation will show the potential impact of having a site based math methods course on the teaching efficacy of pre-service teachers. In addition to studying how pre-service teachers perceive their ability to teach math, I will also study the collaboration between the interns and their cooperating teachers. As our partnership continues to evolve, Nesbit is very much interested in learning more about how cooperating teachers can better assist the interns with creating, implementing and reflecting on their lessons. The theme for the conference is “Sources of Urban Educational Excellence” which is aligned with the theme for my research, “Unlocking the Potential for Extraordinary Math Instruction.” The target audience will be professors who may currently teach site based courses or those considering the idea as well as classroom teachers and interns. As they view my presentation, they will have an opportunity to see first hand how site based methods courses impact pre-service teachers’ ability to teach math. They will also learn more about what cooperating teachers can do to assist the interns in creating and implementing their lessons.

Project Abstract (300 words or less):

Describe the project or paper you will be presenting. Include relevant details about the population of interest, the sources of data and method used as well as any preliminary findings. If the research is in process, please include theoretical framework, focused variables, and hypothesized outcomes.

Nesbit Elementary is one of several Professional Development Schools for Georgia State University. As the teacher mentor at Nesbit, one of my responsibilities involves placing GSU interns and student teachers with experienced cooperating teachers in our building. Another part of our partnership involves site based methods courses that are taught on our campus. As this partnership continues to evolve, I am curious about how pre-service teachers, who take math methods courses on site and have opportunities to immediately implement the strategies they are taught, feel about their teaching ability. I am also interested in evaluating the collaboration between cooperating teachers and interns to identify ways teachers can better support their interns. The data I have collected consist of journal prompts, audio-taped interviews and pre and post teaching efficacy surveys. I plan to share the findings of my research through a power point slideshow. I am still in the process of disaggregating the data, however, based on other studies related to Professional Development Schools and site based methods courses, I believe it will in fact have a positive impact on the pre-service teachers’ ability to deliver high-quality math instruction.

Related Words (5 words or less):

Please list up to five descriptive words about your proposal.

Professional development schools, field-based methods course, teaching efficacy, pre-service teachers