The Teacher Development Continuum in the United States and China: Summary of a Workshop (2010)

Friday, July 31 – Sunday, August 2

Hyatt Regency Hotel

Newport Beach, California

United States National Commission on Mathematics Instruction

National Academy of Sciences

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation

This workshop focuses on the teacher development continuum in the United States and China. We are particularly interested in how the professional lives of teachers are structured to receive ongoing professional development. We are also interested in how experienced and highly qualified teachers participate in this process as providers of professional development as master teachers, mentors, or coaches. These roles are titled differently within and across the two countries. We refer to these teachers in this program outline as “master teachers,” even though that may not be their official title. One important focus for our discussions is comparing and contrasting the roles and status of master teachers in the two countries.

Opening Session – Friday, July 31, 2009

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Session 1 - Plaza III

Opening Remarks: Patrick Scott – USNC/MI Chair

Opening Speech: Liping Ma – Independent Scholar in the Field of Math Education

Chair and Moderator: Roger Howe – USNC/MI Planning Committee

Responder 1: Janine Remillard – USNC/MI Planning Committee

Responder 2: Shiqi Li – East China Normal University

Because of her unique circumstance in observing classrooms and talking to teachers in both countries, we have asked Liping Ma to share with us her impressions and perspective on two topics: the life of the mathematics teacher and the flavor of the mathematics classroom in the two countries. Two responders, one from the United States and one from China, have been asked to add their comments on these topics, after which there will be an open discussion on these topics.

Dinner: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. - Plaza II

Saturday, August 1, 2009

7:45 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.: Breakfast - Garden

8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: Session 2 - Garden Room I

Glimpses into the Life of a Master Teacher – Videos of Master Teachers at Work

Chair and Moderator: Ann Lawrence and Janine Remillard

Presenter 1 (United States - Early Grades): Mary Santilli and Mari Muri

Presenter 2 (China - Early Grades): Fang Wei and Hongyan Zhao

We have asked four participants, two from China and two from the United States, to prepare 20-minute videos, each of which shows 6–10 short clips of what a master teacher does in a normal day. Two participants will present their videos today, one from each country, and the other two will present their videos tomorrow morning. Today’s videos will focus on the early grades and tomorrow’s will focus on the later grades. Each presenter will show his or her video in segments, giving a brief introduction to each segment, and will respond to questions or comments about the segment.

10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: Break - Garden

11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: Session 3 - Garden Room I

The Career Hierarchy in China and in the United States

Chair and Moderator: Joseph Rosenstein

Session 3a

Panelists: China

1. Jianxin Qi

2. Hua Huang and Xue Bai

3. Jianming Wang

12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch - Garden

Session 3b

Panelists: United States

1. Edward Liu

2. Jennifer Bay-Williams

3. Yeping Li

We have asked six participants, three from each country, to make 10-minute presentations about the career hierarchy in their country. The panelists will be university faculty who can provide perspective on what happens in the region in which their university is located; the teachers’ perspectives will be the focus of Session 4. The panel on the career hierarchy in China will be before lunch (Session 3a), and the panel on the career hierarchy in the United States will be after lunch (Session 3b). After each group of three panelists have made their presentations, there will be time for questions and comments. Among the questions that we would like the panelists to address are the following:

• How is the career hierarchy structured in your region? How is this the same as, or different from, other regions?

• What are the ordinary ranks or categories of teachers?

  • How many are there? How are they distinguished from each other?

  • What are the duties of each rank?

  • Do teachers in these ranks interact in regular ways? Are there characteristic types of interactions between teachers in given ranks?

• What are the superranks or categories of teachers?

  • How many are there? How are they distinguished from the ordinary ranks and from each other?

  • What are the duties of the teachers in the superranks?

  • How do they interact with the teachers in the ordinary ranks and with each other?

• What are the criteria or conditions for promotion to the superranks?

  • Is there a progression in the superranks?

  • What percentage of teachers attain the superranks?

  • If there are different levels of superrank, what percentage at one rank graduate to the next one?

2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.: Break - Garden

2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Session 4 - Garden Room I

Becoming a Master Teacher

Chair and Moderator: Patrick Scott

Session 4a

Master Teachers: China

1. Fang Wei

2. Guoguang Zeng

Master Teachers: United States

1. Cindy Bryant

2. Joann Barnett

4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Break - Garden

Session 4b

Master Teachers: China

1. Jianxin Qi

2. Jiansheng Bao

Master Teachers: United States

1. Mari Muri

2. Heather Calahan

Responder: Susan Nickerson

This session will also have two components. For the first component (Session 4a), we have asked four master teachers, two from each country, to discuss the career hierarchy from their perspective as master teachers. Among the questions that we would like the panelists to address are the following:

• How does someone become a master teacher?

• What is the status of teachers? What is the status of master teachers? Do teachers aspire to become master teachers?

• What is the normal progression through the ranks? How long is normally spent in each rank?

• What are the criteria or conditions for advancement?

• What is the portion of teachers in each rank at a given time?

For the second component (Session 4b), we have asked two master teachers (one from each country) and two university professors (one from each country) to discuss the preparation of master teachers focusing on two questions:

• What skills do master teachers need?

• How do they get these skills?

6:30 p.m.: Adjourn

Sunday, August 2, 2009

7:45 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.: Breakfast - Garden

8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.: Session 5 - Garden Room I and Garden Room II

Small group discussions

Chair and Moderator: Joseph Rosenstein

The discussions will focus on issues raised on the previous day for which participants want further elaboration. In the initial 15–30 minutes, participants will suggest topics that they would like to discuss in smaller groups, after which we will break into about four groups of eight participants for 45-minute discussions, followed by reports from the small groups to the entire group.

10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: Session 6 - Garden Room I

Glimpses into the Life of a Master Teacher – Videos of Master Teachers at Work (See description under Session 2.)

Chair and Moderator: Ann Lawrence and Janine Remillard

Presenter 1 (United States - Later Grades): Belinda Thompson and José Jarquin

Presenter 2 (China - Later Grades): Xue Bai and Guoguang Zeng

12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch - Garden

1:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Session 7 - Garden Room I

The Teacher Development Continuum

Chair and Moderator: Joseph Rosenstein

Presenters: China

1. Jiansheng Bao and Hua Huang

2. Jianming Wang and Hongyan Zhao

Presenters: United States

1. Maria Tatto

2. Javier González

Responder (United States and China): Xue Han

This session has two components: the first dealing with issues around the preparation of teachers, and the second with issues around the professional development of teachers. Each session will have two panelists, one from each country. Among the questions that the first group will address are the following:

• How does someone become a teacher of mathematics?

  • What college preparation is needed?

  • Is it different for elementary, middle, and high school teachers?

  • What mathematics courses are taken? What courses in pedagogy?

  • Is teaching in schools part of their preparation, and what does this consist of?

• How does a college graduate obtain a teaching position?

  • Is it based on examinations, interviews, recommendations, or performance in college courses?

  • Does the college graduate have to look for a position on his or her own?

• Who employs the teacher?

  • Is it a school, or a town, or a district, or a province?

  • Who is the teacher’s “boss”?

  • Is the teacher in the civil service?

  • Do most teachers remain in the school in which they began teaching, or can they move from one school to another school?

• Who supervises the teacher?

  • Who decides whether the teacher’s performance is acceptable and decides whether the teacher may continue teaching?

  • Does the teacher eventually have a permanent position, or is the teacher’s position dependent on continued professional development?

  • How can a teacher lose his or her teaching position?

Among the questions that the second group will address are the following:

• How does training continue once a teacher has graduated from college and finds a position? What happens in the initial years?

  • Do they have reduced teaching loads?

  • Who provides training?

  • How much training is received?

  • Are they assigned mentors?

• What long-term mentoring and professional development does the teacher receive?

  • Are these programs voluntary or mandatory?

  • What opportunities are there for sharing and classroom visits?

  • When is the teacher considered to be “trained”?

• How is professional development structured?

  • Where does it take place? Is it in the school? Or is it at the university?

  • Are techniques like lesson study used?

  • Is there a culture of professional interaction?

  • What is the role of the master teacher in this professional development?

• How is professional development conducted?

  • Which forms does it take? One-to-one? One-to-many? Communal? In what portions?

  • Are there formal courses?

  • How does it mix content and pedagogy?

• Is professional development conducted by university staff or by master teachers? If both, would the two types work together or separately? If both, what portion is done by each?

• What professional development is conducted by other groups?

• How does professional development vary with rank?

  • Is there a regular sequence of activities, or is it individually tailored, with wide variation?

  • Does a teacher progress from receiving to providing professional development as he or she progresses in rank? Is this formalized, or is it simply a tendency?

3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Break - Garden

3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Session 8 - Garden Room I

Discussions and Closing Session

U.S. Chair: Janine Remillard

China Chair: Shiqi Li

During the first portion of this session, American and Chinese participants will meet separately to discuss:

• what they have learned thus far about the other country and how they might apply these lessons to their own country,

• whether their questions have been addressed and to formulate questions that are still unanswered, and

• what they would like to see as follow-up to the conference.

During the second portion of this session, each group will:

• describe what they have learned about the other country’s practices,

• answer the other group’s remaining questions, and

• present its ideas about follow-up.

There will then be a general closing discussion.

5:00 p.m.: Adjourn