Jo Boaler Marie Curie Professor, The University of Sussex

1. Jo Boaler Marie Curie Professor, The University of Sussex California Dreaming? Using Research from the USA to Transform Teaching in England.

2. Today’s Presentation Meeting UK Policy makers Research Study USA Schools in England Using New Methods

3. What is the relationship between teaching and learning? 3 schools in California 700 students 4 years of high school Contrasting teaching approaches

4. Teaching Approaches Railside (urban school) Traditional (suburban) Group work Mixed Ability Classes Discussion of conceptual questions Teacher questions Individual work Setted Classes Teacher Demonstration Short practice questions

5. Demographic Comparison Railside Traditional white Latino African American  Asian   Filipino other Groups  19% 39% 22% 9%    7% 4% 71% 23% 1% 2% 1% 2%  

6. Qualitative and Quantitative Methods, including: Over 600 hours of classroom observations over 4 years Video coding Questionnaires Student and teacher interviews Assessments

7. Railside Traditional Year 1 Pre-assessment Test Score 50 40 30 20 10 0

8. Railside Traditional Year 1 Post-assessment Test Score 50 40 30 20 10 0

9. Railside Traditional Year 2 Post-assessment Test Score 50 40 30 20 10 0

10. Participation: In year 4: 41% of Railside seniors 23% of traditional seniors were in advanced classes (pre-calc and calc)

11. Enjoyment: Railside Traditional I enjoy math in school - all or most of the time 47% 70%

12. Equity: Achievement differences between students of different ethnic groups disappeared in some cases & were reduced in all cases.

13. Advanced Algebra Class The “Traditional Approach” Question:What are the Practices in Which Students Engage?

14. What do you have to do to be successful in math class? 97% “Pay Careful Attention”

15. “Great, I love traditional teaching, the teacher tells it you and you get it” “Of course that’s what’s I hate about traditional teaching, you think you’ve got it when you haven’t”

16. Railside Mathematics Social Responsibility Roles High cognitive demand tasks Effort over ‘ability’ Clear expectations Assigning Competence Multi-dimensionality

17. Complex Instruction (Cohen & Lotan) Roles Social Responsibility Assigning Competence Multi-dimensionality Designed to counter status differences

18. Complex Instruction Roles Social Responsibility Assigning Competence Multi-dimensionality

19. What do you have to do to be successful in math class? Asking good questions Rephrasing problems Explaining Using logic Justifying methods Using manipulatives Helping others

20. Nobody is good at all of the ways of working but everybody is good at some of them

21. Railside Calculus Class

22. Multi- dimensionality Back in middle school the only thing you worked on was your math skills. But here you work socially and you also try to learn to help people and get help. Like you improve on your social skills, math skills and logic skills. (R, f, y1)

23. With math you have to interact with everybody and talk to them and answer their questions. You can’t be just like “oh here’s the book, look at the numbers and figure it out”Int: Why is that different for math?It’s not just one way to do it (…) It’s more interpretive. It’s not just one answer. There’s more than one way to get it. And then it’s like: “why does it work”? (R,f,y2) Multi- dimensionality

24. Many more students were successful because there were many more ways to be successful

25. Complex Instruction Roles Social Responsibility Assigning Competence Multi-dimensionality

26. Social Responsibility Int: Is learning math an individual or a social thing? G: It’s like both, because if you get it, then you have to explain it to everyone else. And then sometimes you just might have a group problem and we all have to get it. So I guess both. B: I think both - because individually you have to know the stuff yourself so that you can help others in your group work and stuff like that. You have to know it so you can explain it to them. Because you never know which one of the four people she’s going to pick. And it depends on that one person that she picks to get the right answer. (R, f, y2)

27. I think people look at it as a responsibility. I think it’s something we’ve grown to do since we’ve taken so many math classes. So maybe in ninth grade it’s like Oh my God I don’t feel like helping them. I just wanna get my work done, why do we have a group test? But as you go further you’re like Ooh I need a group test before I take a test. So like the more math you take and the more you learn you grow to appreciate, like Oh Thank God I’m in a group! (R, f, y2) Social Responsibility

28. Railside Mathematics Social Responsibility Roles High cognitive demand tasks Effort over ‘ability’ Clear expectations Assigning Competence Multi-dimensionality

29. Communicating research to bring about change Wrote a book for a general audience Radio interviews across the US Wrote a letter To Gordon Brown Workshop for Schools in England Met with policy-makers in Downing Street Worked with reporter The Times

30. The Workshop

31. The Results

32. Effective Professional Development

33. A case of change: Imogen Darlington, in the North-East of England

35. Imogen’s school Almost all students White British “Much higher than average” have Free School Meals 33% special educational needs 19% 5 ‘good’ grades

36. How did Imogen change? “I do not have to stand at the front of the class and teach” (from model & practice to groupwork, complex tasks & roles) Students talk and I get to hear their thoughts and their math words and that’s great I stand back and let them have space, (used to determine their paths) Equal participation of students who would have been seen as low achieving eg the football shirts More active participation – ideas and questions – in all lessons Students excited to come to class and get into their groups

37. Why did Imogen change? • Fullan: ‘Moral purpose and knowledge are the 2 main change forces that drive success’ (from The New meaning of Educational Change, 2007) • ‘One's personal predispositions are not only relevant but, in fact, stand at the core of becoming a teacher’ -Dan Lortie, Schoolteacher • The workshop fit with her moral purposes, her core beliefs about children, learning and mathematics

38. The workshop Based on research results Careful modeling of the teaching Run by a teacher who taught in this way (credibility, detailed questions of method) An unusual & empassioned speaker, communicated his ‘moral purpose’ & spoke from the heart about the ways children are damaged by maths classes

40. Attention to teacher beliefs Field has concentrated on beliefs about mathematics & learning Less attention to beliefs needed to create conditions for smart learners (but they may be vital to change)

41. Typical views

42. Views to Support Learned Smartness

43. Teacher Beliefs Maths Smartness Learning Equity Elitism

44. Algebra in the ‘traditional approach’: Simplify 9 + (18 – 2) and 2 . (b+2)

45. Algebra at Railside: 1 x 1 What is the perimeter of this shape? Where is the 10?