Using Teacher Portfolios to Enrich the Methods Course Experiences of Prospective Mathematics Teachers

School Science and Mathematics, Dec 2004 by Hartmann, Christopher

Data collection occurred during the second of four semesters in the program's required course sequence. During the study the participants completed a 15-week student teaching placement. Since the prospective teachers were student teaching during this study, they will be referred to as participant (in this research), student teacher (as novice practitioner participating in a field experience), or prospective teacher (as novice in the profession) as best fits the context of the reference. The requirements for student teaching were to teach at least a 50% load and to attend all of the professional responsibilities required of the cooperating teacher. Most of the participants experienced student teaching as a collaborative partnership. Most shared the planning and teaching duties with their cooperating teacher amicably and increased their role in the classroom progressively. While student teaching, the participants also completed a three-credit course on the teaching of secondary school mathematics. The class meetings occurred in the evening to accommodate the schedule of student teaching. The methods course provided the primary context for this research.

This research was conducted by the instructor for the methods course. The participants in the course were a cohort of 14 prospective mathematics teachers pursuing a B.S. degree in secondary mathematics education. During the study, the preparation program was in the process of implementing a portfolio assessment system. This initiative responded to a new state requirement for initial licensure. Individual instructors were encouraged to experiment with ways to integrate the teaching portfolio into their teacher preparation courses. The methods course was redesigned to use the portfolio to help the prospective teachers connect their practices as student teachers to the activities in the methods course. Although data for the study were drawn from the methods course, the prospective teachers were approached about participating in the study at the conclusion of the methods course in order to minimize conflicts of interest.

Research Questions and Methodology

This research investigated the following questions: (a) In what ways did the use of the teaching portfolio impact the experiences of the prospective teachers in a secondary mathematics teaching methods course? (b) hi what ways did the use of the teaching portfolio impact my practices as a methods course instructor? Data analysis focused particular attention on the ways that the teaching portfolio helped the prospective teachers make connections between conceptual frameworks introduced in the methods class and their practical experiences in student teaching classrooms.

Four data sources were used in this research. First, documentary evidence was collected from the methods class, including lesson plans, instructional materials, and assessments of student work. second, as the instructor for the methods course I maintained a log describing classroom events and recording reflections on the progress of the class. This log described the experiences of the entire cohort. At the conclusion of the methods course all of the student teachers were offered the opportunity to participate in the study. All volunteered to participate, but only 10 of the 14 members of the cohort (8 female, 6 male, all Caucasian) agreed to participate in a 60-minute, semistructured interview. Seven participants (4 female, 3 male) were chosen to be interviewed. Prior knowledge of the participants was used to choose a sample that was representative of the diversity of the cohort as a whole. At this point, a photocopy was made of each interviewee's portfolio for use in data analysis. Each portfolio contained enough artifacts to substantially fill a 2" three-ring binder. Appendix A describes both the required contents of these portfolios and the methods course assignments required in the portfolio. The interviews with each participant were conducted during the 3-week period after the conclusion of the methods course. Interview questions focused on the contents of the portfolio, the prospective teacher's beliefs about the portfolio, and plans for continuing to develop a professional portfolio. Appendix B lists the schedule of interview questions. Each interview lasted between 60 and 90 minutes, and a full transcript of each interview was produced for data analysis.