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Facilitating Instructional Change: A Case Study on Diffusion of Curriculum Innovation

While much research has been conducted on train-the-trainer models for diffusing curriculum innovations at the K-12 level, not much is known about how such models play out at the undergraduate level, especially with newer curriculum innovations using student-centered instruction. I present findings from one such project: a case study on the second-generation facilitation of a professional development group focused on supporting instructors teaching with the Inquiry-Oriented Abstract Algebra (Larsen et al., 2013) curriculum materials. I investigate the relationship between the intent of the instructional support model and the facilitator's beliefs and goals for the professional development, using video data collected from a series of online meetings and from the facilitator's classroom in the year prior to his facilitation. Results indicate that the facilitator's orientations and goals around sharing authority and creating supportive learning environments, especially for women participants, both modify and stabilize the intentions of the TIMES project (NSF Awards: #1431595, #1431641, #1431393) as a whole, and the train-the-trainer model as a subsidiary. / Master of Science / While much research has been conducted on train-the-trainer models for spreading curriculum innovations at the K-12 level, not much is known about how such models play out at the undergraduate level, especially with newer curriculum innovations using student-centered instruction. I present findings from one such project: a case study on the second-generation facilitation of a professional development group focused on supporting instructors teaching with the Inquiry-Oriented Abstract Algebra (Larsen et al., 2013) curriculum materials. These are student-centered instructional materials designed to engage students with developing and formalizing mathematical ideas as members of a classroom community, as opposed to passive lecture-based teaching. I investigate the relationship between the intent of the instructional support model and the facilitator's beliefs and goals for the professional development, using video data collected from a series of online meetings and from the facilitator's classroom in the year prior to his facilitation. Results indicate that the facilitator's orientations and goals around sharing authority and creating supportive learning environments, especially for women participants, both modify and stabilize the intentions of the TIMES project (NSF Awards: #1431595, #1431641, #1431393) as a whole, and the train-the-trainer model as a subsidiary.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/116048
Date15 August 2023
CreatorsMitchell, Corinne Beloved
ContributorsMathematics, Johnson, Estrella, Norton, Anderson Hassell, Wawro, Megan
PublisherVirginia Tech
Source SetsVirginia Tech Theses and Dissertation
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
FormatETD, application/pdf
RightsIn Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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