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Mentorship during residency helps make elementary mathematics specialists successful
In recent years, 19 states in the U.S. have developed pathways for elementary teachers to become certified elementary mathematics specialists.
In these certification and endorsement programs, educators gain a more in-depth knowledge of elementary mathematics content and the skills needed to become school leaders.
College of Education & Human Development Professor Susan Auslander and CEHD alumnus Kayla Myers co-authored a study in the Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education on the effectiveness of elementary mathematics specialist endorsement programs.
More specifically, their study focused on nine teachers in an elementary mathematics specialist endorsement program and how the endorsement's mentorship and residency components impacted teachers' instructional practices.
In the final semester of their endorsement program, the nine study participants completed an authentic residency in a school setting to put the knowledge and skills from the endorsement into practice. They also met once a month that semester with a mentor to discuss their experiences implementing what they'd learned.
Auslander, Myers and their co-authors conducted classroom observations during the residency, analyzed the reflections these teachers wrote for their professional portfolios, and conducted interviews with them once they'd completed the endorsement.
Their findings demonstrate that the mentorship and residency components strongly supported the three main elements of becoming a successful elementary mathematics specialist: mathematics content knowledge, teaching practices and leadership knowledge and skills.
"Instead of feeling overwhelmed or skeptical, participants were generally feeling confident and prepared, which they attributed to the program's authentic residency experiences and the collaborative environment of the mentor sessions," the authors wrote. "Relationships that the participants created with the mentor, and with each other, allowed for more collaboration and engagement in new teaching practices."
Provided by Georgia State University
