Global Perspectives for Local Action: Framing the Dialogue

Goals

• To provide an overview of findings of the Global Perspectives for Local Action: Using TIMSS to Improve U.S. Mathematics and Science Education report and its implications for different audiences; and

• To highlight the value of using TIMSS as a catalyst for reflection and improvement.

Agenda

• What Is TIMSS, and What Is the NRC Report?

• What Are the Key Findings of the Report?

• How Do the Different Pieces of TIMSS Interconnect?

• What Are the Implications for Further Reflection and Action?

Corners Activity

• Move to the corner of your choice.

• Discuss your choice with 2–3 others in your corner.

• Spokespeople from each corner share with whole group.

What Is TIMSS?

• Third International Mathematics and Science Study

• Largest and most comprehensive study of math/science education ever conducted

• Involved more than 1/2 million students in Population 1 (9-year-olds); Population 2 (13-year-olds); and Population 3 (final year of secondary school)

• Spanned 41 countries

What Did TIMSS Study?

• Achievement in mathematics and science

• Curriculum practices

• Instructional practices

• Influences on teachers and students inside and outside the classroom

Why should we care about TIMSS?

• Recognize the importance of math/science education to the economy and quality of life

• Learn about alternative ways of dealing with educational challenges

• Gain insights into teaching and learning internationally

• Reexamine conventional practices

• Consider new possibilities for U.S. education

Why another report on TIMSS?

The NRC report

• Takes a comprehensive approach;

• Addresses a range of stakeholders;

• Informs rather than prescribes; and

• Raises questions for local investigation and changes,

What’s in the NRC Report?

• Summary of the TIMSS findings

• Description of TIMSS

• What TIMSS says about curriculum

• What TIMSS says about instruction

• What TIMSS says about school support systems

• Answers to frequently asked questions

What Does TIMSS Say about Student Achievement?

TIMSS Achievement Results

Population 1—Science

TIMSS Achievement Results

Population 1—Mathematics

TIMSS Achievement Results

Population 2—Science

TIMSS Achievement Results

Population 2—Mathematics

TIMSS Achievement Results

Population 3—Science: General Knowledge

TIMSS Achievement Results

Population 3—Mathematics: General Knowledge

TIMSS Achievement Results

Population 3—Advanced Mathematics

TIMSS Achievement Results

Population 3—Physics

How Do Our Best Fourth-Graders Stack Up?

Percentage of Fourth-Graders (Population 1) in the World’s Top 10%

From: Pursuing Excellence: A Study of U.S. Fourth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement in International Context

How Do Our Best Eighth-Graders Stack Up?

Percentage of Eighth-Graders (Population 2) in the World’s Top 10%

From: Pursuing Excellence: A Study of U.S. Eighth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement in International Context

Performance of U.S. 8th-Graders in Mathematics Compared to the International Average

From: Pursuing Excellence: A Study of U.S. Eighth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement in International Context

Performance of U.S. 8th-Graders in Science Compared to the International Average

From: Pursuing Excellence: A Study of U.S. Eighth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement in International Context

Summary: U.S. TIMSS Results

From: Pursuing Excellence: A Study of Fourth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement; Pursuing Excellence: A Study of Eighth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement; and Pursuing Excellence: A Study of Twelfth-Grade Mathematics and Science Achievement

Exploring TIMSS Achievement Data

• What important points seem to be emerging?

• What patterns or trends seem to be emerging?

• What strikes you as surprising or unexpected?

• What questions do these data raise?

Summary: Achievement

• The U.S. starts strong but falls further and further behind as the years of schooling progress.

• By high school, the U.S. is at or near the bottom.

• Top U.S. students in Population 1 are above the international average in science but slightly below in mathematics.

• Top U.S. students in Population 2 are above the international average in science but below in mathematics.

What Does TIMSS Say about Curriculum?

What does TIMSS mean by curriculum?

• Content intended and taught

• Organization of content

Issues Related to Curriculum

• Time, tracking, and expectations:

  • Time spent studying math/science;

  • Different exposure to content and skills; and

  • Expectations for students.

From: Global Perspectives for Local Action

Issues Related to Curriculum

(continued)

• Structure of curriculum:

  • Focus—attention given to single content topics, either within a single class session or across class sessions; and

  • Coherence—“connectedness” of math/science ideas and skills presented to students over time.

From: Global Perspectives for Local Action

Number of Topics in Mathematics Textbooks

The gray bars extend from the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile for the number of topics among countries studied in the TIMSS curriculum analysis. The black line within each gray bar indicates the median number of topics for each population. German textbook data were not available for Populations 1 and 3.

From: A Splintered Vision: An Investigation of U.S. Science and Mathematics Education

Number of Topics in Science Textbooks

The gray bars extend from the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile for the number of topics among countries studied in the TIMSS curriculum analysis. The black line within each gray bar indicates the median number of topics for each population. German textbook data were not available for Populations 1 and 3.

From: A Splintered Vision: An Investigation of U.S. Science and Mathematics Education

Making Sense of the Curriculum Data

• What meaning do you make of these curriculum data?

• What questions do they raise about U.S. curriculum in schools and in higher education?

• Do you see any connections between the curriculum data and the achievement data?

• What next steps might be taken?

Summary Points

• Curriculum matters.

• U.S. math and science curricula lack focus and coherence.

• U.S. math and science curricula have lower expectations than most high-achieving nations.

What Does TIMSS Say about Instruction?

Overview of Videotape Study

• First of its kind

• Nationally representative sample of Population 2 mathematics classrooms in Germany, Japan, and the U.S.

• Purposes

  • To describe teaching practices in each nation

  • To look at teaching with a fresh perspective

  • To encourage reflection

From: Global Perspectives for Local Action

Video Study Analyzed

• Teachers’ goals for lessons

• Treatment of concepts and applications

• Presence of alternative solution methods

• How mathematical principles, properties, and definitions were used

• Whether proofs were included

• Whether concepts were connected

• The kinds of tasks assigned

The NRC Report Looks at

• Structure of lessons

• Objectives

• Beliefs

• Scripts

From: Global Perspectives for Local Action

Questions for Video Viewing

• How does the teacher introduce the concept?

• What is the difference between how the students are engaged in the U.S. classroom and in the Japanese classroom?

• How challenging is the mathematics content supported by the lessons?

Average Grade Level of Content in the Videotaped Lessons by International Standards

From: The TIMSS Videotape Classroom Study

Lesson Structure—Percentages of Math Tasks that Students Decide How to Solve Rather than Using a Teacher-Prescribed Method

From: The TIMSS Videotape Classroom Study

Percentages of 8th-Grade Mathematics Lessons with Instances of Mathematical (Deductive) Thinking

From: The TIMSS Videotape Classroom Study

Making Connections

• What meaning do you make of these teaching data?

• What questions do they raise about practices in schools and in higher education?

• What next steps might be taken?

Summary—Structure of Lessons

U.S. Lessons

• Contain lower level content than in Japan or Germany;

• Demand less mathematical reasoning; and

• Emphasize teacher-prescribed methods over student-invented solutions.

From: Global Perspectives for Local Action

What Does TIMSS Say about School Support Systems?

The Meaning of School Support Systems

• Preparation and support of teachers

• Attitudes toward the profession of teaching

• Attitudes of teachers, students, and parents toward learning

• Lives of teachers and students in and out of school

The NRC Report Looks at

• Teacher’s time;

• Teacher learning;

• Cultural influences on teaching; and

• Student attitudes.

From: Global Perspectives for Local Action

Time to Collaborate: Percent of Science Teachers Who Meet with Other Teachers 1, 2, or 3 Times Per Week

From: Science Achievement in the Middle School Years and Science Achievement in the Primary School Years

Summary: School Support Systems

• Japanese teachers have more opportunities to discuss teaching.

• Beginning teachers in Japan have a structured induction plan.

• Japanese students watch as much TV as U.S. students but do better in school.

• Attitudes of U.S. students toward math/science are similar to the international average; they are positive and decline from the 4th grade to the 8th grade.

Making Connections: School Support System Findings

• What sense do you make of these findings?

• What questions do they raise about our practices in schools and in higher education?

• What next steps might be taken?

What Are Some Implications for Further Action and Reflection?

“Educational systems tend to overcorrect for what is seen as a problem and end up with a different situation that may be just as unsatisfactory. We seek in this report to help decision-makers balance the pendulum swings so as to make more likely steady progress toward a better education in science and mathematics for all our students and for our nation.”

From: Global Perspectives for Local Action