OpenComps Study of Teacher Beliefs; MathEd.net Turns Three

A month from now I'll be in the midst of the written portion of my comprehensive exam. My last #OpenComps update (and several posts since then) listed several readings about teacher learning. With those complete, now I'm moving my attention towards teacher beliefs with the following articles and chapters:

Fennema, E., & Franke, M. L. (1992). Teachers knowledge and its impact. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 147–164). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Pajares, M. F. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307–332. doi:10.3102/00346543062003307

Philipp, R. A. (2007). Mathematics teachers’ beliefs and affect. In F. K. Lester (Ed.), Second handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 257–315). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.

Thompson, A. G. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and conceptions: A synthesis of the research. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 127–146). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Villegas, A. M. (2007). Dispositions in Teacher Education: A Look At Social Justice. Journal of Teacher Education, 58(5), 370–380. doi:10.1177/0022487107308419

Wilkins, J. L. M., & Brand, B. R. (2004). Change in preservice teachers’ beliefs: An evaluation of a mathematics methods course. School Science and Mathematics, 104(5), 226–232. doi:10.1111/j.1949-8594.2004.tb18245.x

As I usually do, I'm reading these in chronological order. I just finished the Pajares article and will next move on to Alba Thompson's well-regarded chapter from the 1992 NCTM research handbook. My advisor said I probably don't need to read the entire Fennema & Franke chapter, but there is a diagram near the end that I should be aware of and the context surrounding it.

MathEd.net Turns Three

Although I've been blogging my random thoughts and personal commentary since 2001, after starting graduate school I knew I'd be blogging more about education. Three years ago today, I decided it was time to split my identity: one blog and Twitter account for professional/educational content, and a separate blog and Twitter account for personal/miscellaneous content. It's been a good decision, one that has spared many of you from numerous updates about the Cubs, college wrestling, or my infrequent travels.

I'm creeping up on 40,000 page views, which I think is pretty good given how infrequently I sometimes post and how technical some of what I'm writing about has become. It reminds me largely of why I started this blog: as a teacher, I was willing to have my practice improved by knowledge from research, if only I could find it. The research literature was locked behind paywalls I couldn't afford, and as a lone math teacher in a rural district, I didn't have instructional coaches or curriculum staff to help me. But I knew smart people and resources existed online, and that social tools were allowing us to come together in new ways. The best ticket for admission in that social world is one's own contributions, and I'm trying to contribute something not easily found elsewhere.

I thank you all for reading, and I look forward to what the future brings -- not only for this blog and for myself, but also where this disintermediated online sharing of educational knowledge might take us.