Preparing Mentors to Support Novices in Eliciting Student Thinking in Mathematics Discussions: Developing and Testing a Simulation-Based PD Program

PERIOD:

Jul 15, 2022

Jun 30, 2026

Funding Agency

NSF through a subaward from the University of Virginia

This design and development studies project will develop and test a professional development series to support mentor teachers in enhancing both their teaching and mentoring skills, with an emphasis on elementary mathematics. To support mentor teachers in developing their teaching and mentoring skills, the project team will use mixed reality simulations as a low-stakes practice space that allows mentors to get individualized support from a distance, alongside a set of asynchronous professional development sessions and synchronous collaborative sessions.

Specific aims of the project include

Developing mentor teacher professional learning materials and measures
Testing impacts of mentor teachers’ professional learning on mentors’ and candidates’ skills
Building knowledge about implementation processes and differential uptake of mentor teacher professional learning.