Integrating Online Discussion: Broadening the Conversation

This article shares an approach to teaching mathematics teacher education courses incorporating asynchronous online discussions. Specifically, this research is guided by the following research questions: (a) How would online discussions contribute or hinder teachers’ learning in mathematics methods courses? and (b) What pedagogical strategies need to be considered when incorporating online threaded discussion? The analysis of data collected provides the basis for conclusions and recommendations for educators who are interested in integrating online discussions into mathematics methods classrooms. The intent of this study is to provide information that can be useful in implementing changes in the modes of communication in mathematics teacher education. This article shares an approach to teaching mathematics teacher education courses incorporating technology associated with asynchronous online discussions. It also examines the effectiveness of some electronic pedagogy that was adapted over a year as I designed, taught, and revised two mathematics methods courses. Current consensus holds that “technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences the mathematics that is taught and enhances students’ learning” (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2000, p.11). This call to integrate technology into mathematics education challenges not only school mathematics, but also preservice and in-service mathematics education of teachers. In its report, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education ( NCATE, 2001) pointed out, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 6(2) 205 To what degree are higher education institutions meeting their responsibility for preparing tomorrow’s classroom teachers? Bluntly, a majority of teacher preparation programs are falling far short of what needs to be done.... colleges and universities are making the same mistake that was made by K-12 schools; they treat “technology” as a special addition to the teacher education curriculum – requiring specially prepared faculty and specially equipped classrooms – but not a topic that needs to be incorporated across the entire teacher education program.... they rarely are required to apply technology in their courses and are denied role models of faculty employing technology in their own work. (p. 5) This statement underscores the new trend in education that emphasizes the importance of learning with technolo gy instead of learning from technology (Jonassen, Howland, Moore, & Marra, 2003). Consequently, mathematics teacher educators need to help preservice and in-service teachers develop the ability to make use of technology by effectively integrating it into teacher education. With the belief that technology is best learned in context (Willis, 2001), I taught two mathematics methods courses (three classes) integrating technology. To date, little of the scholarship in mathematics teacher education focuses on the integration of asynchronous online discussions as an example of the use of technology in teacher education. Numerous questions remain to be answered for the successful integration of technology into mathematics teacher education. What role should technology play in teacher education? How do online interactions support or constrain mathematics teacher education? How can online interaction contribute to teachers’ understanding of current trends in mathematics teacher education? What pedagogical strategies need to be considered when incorporating asynchronous online discussion? Although both multimedia and the Internet were incorporated into these courses, the focus of this paper was on the online discussions. This project started with the aim of finding out whether and how the Internet as a vehicle or context could be useful in mathematics teacher education. The use of online discussions could help provide insight about what was going on in the teachers’ minds. These insights would help with daily assessments and would affect decisions about how to proceed throughout the courses. During the year, much was discovered about online community building, pedagogy, and mathematics learning. New aspects of common issues faced in teacher education were observed, including teachers’ experiences with diversity and the importance of issues such as death. As the initial data and early experiences of the year were collected, they began to influence my thoughts about what was being learned. I narrowed my focus on the examination of effectiveness of the integration of online discussion into the mathematics methods courses. Specifically, this research is guided by the following research questions: • How would online discussions contribute or hinder teachers’ learning in mathematics methods courses? • What pedagogical strategies need to be considered when incorporating online threaded discussion? Theoretical Perspective and Structure of the Courses The two courses for preand in-service teachers (hereafter referred to collectively as teachers) were entitled Mathematics for Elementary Schools and Mathematics for Secondary Schools. These courses were grounded in theories and research from cognitive research (Bruer, 1993), constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978; Young, 1997), and the Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 6(2) 206 development of new learning technologies (Scardamalia, Bereiter, & Lamon, 1994). Social constructivism, in particular, underlies my conception of the courses. In this view, “the learning that occurs in context is considered more useful or valuable to the learner than the learning that occurs in isolated situations” (Guy, Li, & Simanton, 2002). In addition, knowledge is constructed and advanced through social interactions (Kanuka & Anderson, 1998). Adherents of such perspectives believe that methods courses provide better authentic contexts for the learning of technology than a stand-alone technology course. Methods courses can provide students with opportunities to observe professors modeling integration of technology in teaching and learning; students can apply technology in their own learning, and they can plan and implement innovative uses of technology in their own teaching (Willis, 2001). Further, knowledge construction is based on social experiences. Technology such as the Internet and multimedia provide “an effective means for implementing constructivist strategies that would be difficult to accomplish in other media” (Driscoll, 1994, p. 376). According to McDuffie and Slavit (2003), online discussions used in elementary mathematics methods classrooms can support teachers’ reflection and challenge their beliefs about mathematics education. Based on this set of research, the courses were designed to help the teachers develop skills and advance knowledge in mathematics education by integrating technology with sustained educational experiences. The main objectives of the methods courses for these teachers were as follows: • Formulate a personal sense of what mathematics is and what it means to teach mathematics. • Become more prepared to teach mathematic s using technology as a tool. • Learn different techniques of teaching mathematics. • Develop resources of good mathematical problems and ways to assess them. • Enhance teachers’ understanding of mathematics teaching, learning, and assessment based on the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000). The courses were structured to combine regular face-to-face classroom instruction with participation in asynchronous threaded online discussions. The courses started with reflective inquiry by the teachers on their experiences with mathematics teaching and learning. Then the teachers examined theoretical and practical issues in mathematics teacher education. In a final multimedia project, the teachers developed ways to apply course content to improve their own teaching and learning of mathematics. Face-to-face interaction was still critical in these courses because of the need for rich hands-on experience with manipulatives. As indicated by Merryfield (2001), online instruction is not especially helpful to hands-on work. Because the university is located in a rural area, many of teachers lived 75 miles away from the campus. Integrating part of the course online provided more chances for the teachers to interact with each other and with me than they would have attained by solely commuting to classes. The online component of the course was provided through BlackboardTM. For privacy and access reasons, the Blackboard site was structured so that only the instructor and the teachers enrolled in the classes had access to them. From the course home page, the teachers followed various links to read useful information, such as the course overview and syllabus, related mathematics educational links, a list of manipulatives, and assignments. The teachers were required to read weekly textbook assignments, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 6(2) 207 contribute at least one message to the online discussion per week, and read the messages of their peers. The teachers often posted more messages than required. For example, a teacher posted seven messages one week to discuss and defend his position on cultural issues in mathematics education. The average number of postings per teacher for that week was four. After reading the comments of their peers, the teachers could either respond to messages to continue the discussion or start a new thread on other topics such as their own reflections on designated reading assignments. The convenience of the online discussion forum allowed teachers to communicate with each other and the researcher without time or location constraints.