Who We Are
The Pathways writing, research, and professional development team is made up of mathematics educators and education researchers committed to operationalizing the latest research on mathematics teaching and student learning into classroom resources and practices that improve the quality of students’ learning experiences.
Piloting of Pathways materials began in 2006, and since then we have continually revised and refined our approach to lesson design, contents, and professional development training based on research results, student performance, and feedback. Tens of thousands of students and instructors have benefited from using Pathways materials, and we look forward to impacting many more!
Pathways History
The following is a brief history of the Pathways project and curriculum materials.
Phase 1
Pathways began as a professional development training program for secondary mathematics and science teachers with the primary goal of impacting students’ classroom experiences and improving their success and persistence in STEM fields by improving teachers’ mathematical knowledge and teaching practices.
Phase 1 Goals
- Improve teachers’ understanding of foundational mathematics & science ideas.
- Improve teachers’ reasoning abilities and STEM habits of mind.
- Improve teachers’ content knowledge for teaching.
- Support teachers in reflecting on and modifying their classroom instruction.
- Understand the impacts of these on students’ learning.
Key Findings
- Teachers’ understanding of important mathematical ideas increased, but there was a high degree of irregularity in teachers implementing problem-solving skills in their daily lessons.
- A focus on “speaking with meaning” corresponded with larger shifts in teacher understanding and more attention to student thinking in lessons.
Phase 2
Phase 1 demonstrated that teachers needed dedicated support and high-quality curriculum resources to implement what they learned. In Phase 2, we developed a coherent, cognitively-scaffolded curriculum (starting with Precalculus) to help teachers make positive shifts that would impact students’ learning experiences.
Phase 2 Goals
- Develop, pilot, study, refine, and scale up a conceptual, cognitively-scaffolded curriculum.
- Continue focused professional development to help increase teachers’ conceptual knowledge.
Key Findings
- We observed significant shifts in teachers’ mathematical understandings. The curricula proved to be educative materials.
- We also observed significant shifts in students’ mathematical understandings, passing rates, and persistence in STEM.
Phase 3
Phase 3 (our current phase) involves better understanding how to scale up reform efforts like Pathways across diverse sites with their own unique needs and concerns, as it can be challenging for departments to embrace new learning goals compared to traditional materials.
Phase 3 Goals
- Continue to scale up use of the curriculum to new sites and new faculty.
- Study the scaling and implementation process in greater depth.
- Continue to develop new courses and new course resources.
Key Findings
- Piloting and planning for early success was critical in helping sites adopt and scale materials.
- Focused and ongoing professional development support was key to success.
- Instructors who repeatedly use the Pathways materials evolve in their understandings and practices.