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The First IEA Study of Mathematics Teacher Education [TEDS-M 2008]: An International Comparative Study in Progress
Location and Schedule
Time slot: 
RL-3 on Friday 11, 11:00 – 12:00
Auditorium: 
S03-Polivalente Auditorium – FIME
Metadata information
Author(s): 
Maria Teresa Tatto, John Schwille, and Sharon Senk of Michigan State University; and Lawrence Ingvarson, Ray Peck, and Glenn Rowley of the Australian Council for Educational Research
Language: 
English
Keywords: 
Mathematics teacher education, Primary education, Lower secondary education,
Abstract: 

In this presentation I will share information about TEDS-M 2008, its unique contribution to research in mathematics teacher education, and its progress to date.

What is TEDS-M 2008?
TEDS-M 2008 is a comparative study of the preparation of teachers of mathematics at the primary and lower secondary levels. TEDS-M pays particular attention to the links between teacher education policies, practices and outcomes. The study is capacity building and it provides participating countries with a valuable opportunity to conduct research on their own teacher education system and to learn from approaches used in other countries. TEDS-M addresses research questions of central interest to policy makers such as: (1) What are the characteristics of teacher education programs that prepare future teachers of primary and secondary mathematics effectively? (2) How can the outcomes of teacher education programs for teachers of mathematics be measured in ways that are reliable and valid? (3)What kinds of policies are effective in recruiting qualified teachers of mathematics from diverse backgrounds?

What is unique about TEDS-M? TEDS-M is a groundbreaking study at many levels. TEDS-M is the first cross-national study of teacher preparation to collect data on the curriculum, organization, processes and outcomes of teacher education from national probability samples of institutions, teaching staff and students in these institutions. TEDS-M is the first international assessment of learning outcomes based on national samples, not just in teacher education, but in higher education more generally. TEDS-M is designed to serve as a valuable tool to help inform and develop mathematics teacher preparation policy for future mathematics primary and secondary teachers. TEDS-M’s innovative methods can serve as a model to be followed by cross-national studies of teacher education in other subject matters such as science. To ensure that the study takes advantage of the best available psychometric and survey methods, it is reviewed twice annually by internationally well-known methodological experts.

What will TEDS-M add to existing research? TEDS-M builds on concepts, methods and findings of large cross-national studies such as IEA’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and other related studies such as the 6-country study of middle school mathematics teacher preparation (or MT21). TEDS-M examines national and institutional teacher preparation systems, curricula and policies and adds the study of the mathematics and pedagogy knowledge acquired by elementary and middle school mathematics teachers drawn from national probability samples in 19 countries to provide the most rigorous scientific evidence on the effectiveness of mathematics teacher preparation to date.

Progress to date: The TEDS-M team has recently finalized the Main Study instruments and sampling plans. The instruments for assessing teacher knowledge of mathematics content and mathematics pedagogy have been developed in consultation with mathematicians and mathematics educators throughout the world, including a U.S. panel of nationally known experts in mathematics and mathematics education. Final data collection is taking place in 2007 and will continue until mid-2008. The final report for TEDS-M will be released in the fall of 2009.

Participating countries: Botswana, Canada, Chile, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and the USA.

Funding: TEDS-M is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation [NSF REC 0514431] and by the participating countries under the sponsorship and financial support of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA).

TEDS-M Leadership Team: At the International Center at Michigan State University (the lead institution) the TEDS-M Director and Principal Investigator is Maria Teresa Tatto, and Jack Schwille and Sharon L. Senk are the co-directors. The project coordinator is Inese Berzina Pitcher. Other key senior researchers include Lawrence Ingvarson, Ray Peck, and Glenn Rowley (TEDS-M co-directors at the Australian Council for Educational Research); Jean Dumais (TEDS-M sampling referee at Statistics Canada); Kiril Bankov (University of Sofia, Bulgaria); Michael Rodriguez (University of Minnesota), Martin Carnoy (Stanford University); Dirk Hastedt, Falk Brese, Ralph Carstens and Sabine Meinck (IEA Data Processing and Research Center (DPC) in Hamburg). Hans Wagemaker and Barbara Malak provide oversight from the IEA Secretariat in Amsterdam.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact TEDS-M Director Maria Teresa Tatto at mttatto@msu.edu or consult http://teds.educ.msu.edu which contains the following detailed description of the study: Tatto, M. T., et al. (2008). Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M 2008): Conceptual Framework. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University and IEA, the Netherlands.