Effective teaching in elementary mathematics: Identifying classroom practices that support student achievement

Abstract

a b s t r a c tRecent investigations into the education production function have moved beyond traditional teacher inputs, such as education, certification, and salary, focusing instead on observational measures of teaching practice. However, challenges to identification mean that this work has yet to coalesce around specific instructional dimensions that increase student achievement. I build on this discussion by exploiting within-school, between-grade, and cross-cohort variation in scores from two observation instruments; further, I condition on a uniquely rich set of teacher characteristics, practices, and skills. Findings indicate that inquiry-oriented instruction positively predicts student achievement. Content errors and imprecisions are negatively related, though these estimates are sensitive to the set of covariates included in the model. Two other dimensions of instruction, classroom emotional support and classroom organization, are not related to this outcome. Findings can inform recruitment and development efforts aimed at improving the quality of the teacher workforce.

Resources for Teaching

“…Of eligible teachers within these schools, 306 (roughly 55%) agreed to participate (40% in District 1, 76% in District 2, 59% in District 3, and 62% in District 4). Although a non-random sample is a limitation of this study, analysis of these same data in other work indicate that teachers who selected into the study are not different from the rest of the teachers in the district with regard to state value-added scores (Blazar, 2015). In an appendix, we also show that characteristics of teachers' students are similar between our sample and the broader district populations (see Appendix Table 1A).…”

How teachers teach and students learn

“…Bietenbeck, 2014;Blazar, 2015;. A possible explanation for these findings is that the relationship runs not from teaching strategy to student success on the items, but in the opposite direction -meaning that teachers are more likely to use student-oriented or formative-assessment strategies for those students who struggle with mathematics problems at all levels of difficulty.…”

Teacher and Teaching Effects on Students’ Attitudes and Behaviors

“…Factor analyses of data captured both by this instrument and the CLASS identified two teaching skills in addition to those described above: the cognitive demand of math activities that teachers provide to students and the precision with which they deliver this content (Blazar et al, 2015). Validity evidence for the MQI has focused on the relationship between these teaching practices and students’ math test scores (Blazar, 2015; Kane & Staiger, 2012), which makes sense given the theoretical link between teachers’ content knowledge, delivery of this content, and students’ own understanding (Hill et al, 2008). However, professional organizations and researchers also describe theoretical links between the sorts of teaching practices captured on the MQI and student outcomes beyond test scores (Bandura et al, 1996; Lampert, 2001; NCTM, 1989, 2014; Usher & Pajares, 2008; Wigfield & Meece, 1988) that, to our knowledge, have not been tested.…”

“…7 The two dimensions from the MQI capture mathematics-specific practices: Ambitious Mathematics Instruction focuses on the complexity of the tasks that teachers provide to their students and their interactions around the content, thus corresponding to the set of professional standards described by NCTM (1989, 2014) and many elements contained within the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, 2010); Mathematical Errors identifies any mathematical errors or imprecisions the teacher introduces into the lesson. Both dimensions from the MQI are linked to teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching and, in turn, to students’ math achievement (Blazar, 2015; Hill et al, 2008; Hill, Schilling, & Ball, 2004). Correlations between dimensions range from roughly 0 (between Emotional Support and Mathematical Errors ) to 0.46 (between Emotional Support and Classroom Organization ; see Table 3).…”

“… 6 As described by Blazar (2015), capture occurred with a three-camera, digital recording device and lasted between 45 and 60 minutes. Teachers were allowed to choose the dates for capture in advance and directed to select typical lessons and exclude days on which students were taking a test.…”