150 Teachers Joined The CGI Teacher Training Program In Year One Of Successful Start

Tallahassee, Fla. -- The Successful Start project is a partnership between Florida State University’s Learning Systems Institute (LSI), The Children’s Board of Hillsborough County and Hillsborough County Public Schools. The project team, led by Dr. Amanda Tazaz, provides early elementary school teachers with eight days of mathematics teacher professional development based on Cognitively Guided Instruction.

Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) is a way of teaching math that uses children's own problem-solving strategies and number sense. Teachers who use CGI learn how to listen to their students' thinking, ask meaningful problems, and help them talk about math. CGI helps teachers make their classrooms a place where all students can reason, communicate and feel confident in math.

In the 2023-2024 school year, 150 teachers from 20 elementary schools joined the CGI teacher training program as part of the Successful Start project. These teachers received training, coaching, and support from Dr. Tazaz and her team of CGI experts. The project also collected and analyzed data on how the program affected teachers and students, such as teacher knowledge, beliefs and practices and student achievement, attitudes and involvement in math. 

"We saw improvement in teachers' understanding of how children learn math and how to help them learn through CGI," said Dr. Tazaz. "We are currently working to analyze the results on student achievement."  

Starting in the summer of 2024, another 150 Hillsborough County Public Schools teachers will join the CGI teacher training program. The project will also continue supporting and following up with the teachers who finished the program the previous year. Dr. Tazaz hopes the project will have a long-term effect on the teachers and students involved, as well as on math education in the county and beyond.   

"Our goal is to create a group of CGI teachers who can learn from each other, share their stories and promote high-quality math instruction for all children," said Dr. Tazaz. "We think that CGI is a great way to help children build a strong base for math thinking and learning that will help them throughout their lives."

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