Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.8
2.5
Journals
Education Sciences
Special Issues
Incremental and Innovative Approaches to Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers
share announcement

Incremental and Innovative Approaches to Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Teacher Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2024) | Viewed by 5683

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Samuel Otten

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Education & Human Development, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
Interests: mathematics education; standards for mathematical practice; secondary mathematics instruction; mathematics teacher professional development
Dr. Amber Candela

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Educator Preparation and Leadership, University of Missouri—St Louis, St Louis, MO 63121, USA
Interests: mathematics teacher preparation; classroom observation research; mathematics teacher professional development; task implementation
Dr. Zandra De Araujo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Lastinger Center for Learning, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Interests: equity in mathematics education; algebra instruction; english learners in mathematics; mathematics teacher professional development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Professional developers and teacher educators have been striving to improve mathematics instruction for decades, but with mixed success. In some countries, robust professional development (PD) structures have been developed or maintained, supporting high-quality mathematics instruction. In other countries, however, there has been an inertia of procedurally focused mathematics instruction that has been incredibly resistant to change. Even when specific PD efforts have found success in certain contexts or with certain teachers, it has been difficult for these instructional improvements to be sustained or spread on a broad scale. Moreover, as further theoretical advancements are made with regard to the potential of mathematics instruction, such as instruction for human flourishing or to promote social justice, it is even more important to discern ways to effectively promote and sustain instructional change through PD efforts.

In this Special Issue on professional development for mathematics teachers, we are seeking articles that present innovative approaches to affecting instructional change. These articles might focus on professional development efforts or infrastructures that have found success in certain national contexts and present considerations or an investigation of how it might extend to other national contexts. Articles might also focus on new ideas for or forms of professional development, based on the recognition that past efforts with mathematics teachers have not consistently led to widespread change.

One particular idea of interest for this Special Issue is incremental PD, defined in contrast to transformational PD. Transformational PD seeks to present mathematics teachers with an alternative model of instruction or to train them in ambitious practices that are substantially divergent from their conventional teaching, but it faces the challenges of being distinct from teachers’ (and students’) past experiences, difficult to enact, unaligned with many conventional textbooks and assessments, and sometimes susceptible to public and political pushback. Incremental PD, on the other hand, is based on the goal of providing only modest suggestions for improvement, with instructional “nudges” that are proximal to what teachers are already doing and so have a high likelihood of uptake (and minimal likelihood of pushback), but which will meaningfully improve instruction in some way, such as by increasing student engagement, conceptual considerations, or equitable participation. Articles hypothesizing incremental approaches to PD or reporting on attempts to increase the uptake and viability of otherwise transformational PD efforts are welcome.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, theoretical essays, and literature reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • PD for elementary mathematics instruction;
  • PD for secondary mathematics instruction;
  • Innovative models for mathematics teacher PD;
  • Incremental PD in mathematics;
  • Theories of teacher change that relate directly to mathematics instruction;
  • Theories of instructional change that relate directly to mathematics.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Samuel Otten
Dr. Amber Candela
Dr. Zandra De Araujo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mathematics teacher professional development
  • mathematics education
  • teacher education
  • theories of teacher change
  • instructional improvement
  • instructional change
  • teacher learning

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 211 KiB  
Article
Beyond Traditional Lesson Study: How Mathematics Studio Supports Generative Teacher Learning
by Kristin Lesseig and Jessica Hoppe
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(12), 1277; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121277 - 22 Nov 2024
Viewed by 120
Abstract
In this paper, we describe the interworking of a group of middle school mathematics teachers who engaged in Mathematics Studio, an adaptation of lesson study, across three years. We use this case to illuminate specific structures, protocols, and norms of interaction within Studio [...] Read more.
In this paper, we describe the interworking of a group of middle school mathematics teachers who engaged in Mathematics Studio, an adaptation of lesson study, across three years. We use this case to illuminate specific structures, protocols, and norms of interaction within Studio that create conditions for teacher learning and incremental changes in teachers’ instruction. Our analysis revealed several discourse practices, including the adoption of a research lens, a shared language of affordances and constraints, and an orientation toward student learning that supported a culture of inquiry as teachers investigated genuine questions they had about instruction. In this paper, we elaborate on these practices and share examples of pedagogically productive talk. We claim Mathematics Studio has the potential to circumvent previously identified challenges to support generative learning and the ongoing growth in teachers’ instructional practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Incremental and Innovative Approaches to Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers)
18 pages, 886 KiB  
Article
Rough Draft Math as an Evolving Practice: Incremental Changes in Mathematics Teachers’ Thinking and Instruction
by Amanda Jansen, Megan Botello and Elena M. Silla
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 1266; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14111266 - 19 Nov 2024
Viewed by 277
Abstract
This paper presents exploratory findings suggesting that mathematics teachers can implement Rough Draft Math (RDM) by making small, incremental changes that align with their current practices and local contexts, including curriculum materials, with minimal support. Following a conference presentation and/or reading a book [...] Read more.
This paper presents exploratory findings suggesting that mathematics teachers can implement Rough Draft Math (RDM) by making small, incremental changes that align with their current practices and local contexts, including curriculum materials, with minimal support. Following a conference presentation and/or reading a book about pedagogy, teachers reported shifts in their thinking that facilitated their interest in enacting RDM and small changes they made to their teaching. The flexibility of RDM, as a general concept rather than a set of prescribed practices, allowed teachers to incorporate RDM to meet their own teaching goals. We propose that this adaptability enables teachers to incorporate RDM into their classrooms incrementally, reflecting their existing objectives for their students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Incremental and Innovative Approaches to Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

29 pages, 5115 KiB  
Article
Examining Teachers’ Professional Learning in an Online Asynchronous System: Personalized Supports for Growth and Engagement in Learning to Teach Statistics and Data Science
by Hollylynne S. Lee, Emily Thrasher, Gemma F. Mojica, Bruce M. Graham, J. Todd Lee and Adrian Kuhlman
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 1236; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14111236 - 11 Nov 2024
Viewed by 431
Abstract
Teachers’ professional learning often includes online components. This study examined how a case of 37 teachers utilized a specific online asynchronous professional learning platform designed to support teachers’ growth in learning to teach statistics and data science in secondary schools in the United [...] Read more.
Teachers’ professional learning often includes online components. This study examined how a case of 37 teachers utilized a specific online asynchronous professional learning platform designed to support teachers’ growth in learning to teach statistics and data science in secondary schools in the United States. The platform’s features and learning materials were designed based on effective online learning designs, supports for self-guided learning, and research on the teaching and learning of statistics and data science. We paid particular attention to the features we designed into the platform to support self-regulation and personalizing the experiences to meet their preferred learning goals such as allowing for free choice of learning materials, flexibility of when and how long to engage, providing personal recommendations based on user input, internal systems to track progress, and generating certificates of completion. In this study, we used a case study with both quantitative and qualitative data to examine whether teachers had gains in meeting learning goals related to their development in teaching statistics and data science, had sustained engagement, and found the features for personalization supportive for their learning. Results showed, overall, positive growth towards meeting learning goals and making small changes towards improved classroom practice. Most teachers were generally engaged in sustained ways across the study period, though we found six different patterns of completion that highlight ways in which teachers’ goal-directed and self-regulated learning occurred within the busy schedules of educators. Several personalized features, especially the recommendations and tracking system, were highly utilized and perceived as supportive of teachers’ learning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Incremental and Innovative Approaches to Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

29 pages, 2269 KiB  
Article
Teachers’ Mixed Implementation of Mindset Mathematics Practices During and After a Novel Approach to Teacher Learning
by Miriam Leshin, Tanya LaMar and Jo Boaler
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 1229; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14111229 - 10 Nov 2024
Viewed by 630
Abstract
Supporting teachers to transfer their learnings from innovative professional development settings to the classroom is challenging. In this paper, we investigate a novel approach to teacher learning, in which teachers from seven US districts taught in a mathematics summer camp using a research-based [...] Read more.
Supporting teachers to transfer their learnings from innovative professional development settings to the classroom is challenging. In this paper, we investigate a novel approach to teacher learning, in which teachers from seven US districts taught in a mathematics summer camp using a research-based curriculum centered on student reasoning and mindset messages. We examined the practices teachers did and did not implement in their camp and school-year classrooms, as well as the possible reasons for the greater or lesser changes in practice. Through analysis of classroom video, teacher artifacts, and teacher interviews, we found that teachers implemented several important practices in both camp and school-year classrooms, namely posing open tasks, giving students ample time to collaborate, and asking questions that pushed students to reason. Interview analysis revealed that the act of centering students’ reasoning and witnessing their subsequent engagement seemed to motivate teacher uptake of these practices. At the same time, however, teachers less frequently integrated mindset messaging directly into their teaching and gave space for the exploration of students’ mistakes and struggles. These findings suggest implications for innovative professional development efforts outside of the school year, as well as incremental approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Incremental and Innovative Approaches to Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

28 pages, 1426 KiB  
Article
Studio as a Catalyst for Incremental and Ambitious Teacher Learning
by Rebekah Elliott and Sarah A. Roberts
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14111160 - 25 Oct 2024
Viewed by 932
Abstract
This article explores how the practice-focused Studio professional learning (PL) model can provide incremental and ambitious teacher learning opportunities. We argue that when the model’s structures and practices are grounded in ambitious and equitable teaching, they catalyze incremental teacher learning. Studio, like lesson [...] Read more.
This article explores how the practice-focused Studio professional learning (PL) model can provide incremental and ambitious teacher learning opportunities. We argue that when the model’s structures and practices are grounded in ambitious and equitable teaching, they catalyze incremental teacher learning. Studio, like lesson study, supports teachers in considering the entailments of lessons, focusing on the live shared enactment to strengthen teaching and learning through collaborative analysis and reflection. To build our argument, we drew from two Studio projects that had shared structures of cycles of learning and routines, as well as shared practices of using rich representations and collective interpretations of teaching. While both projects’ structures and practices take up ambitious and equitable teaching, they use different routines and attend to different features of equitable teaching. Building on a history of PL models, such as lesson study, which use similar structures and practices as powerful catalysts of teacher learning, we argue that Studio’s structures and practices can catalyze teachers’ incremental learning of ambitious and equitable teaching. We discuss the implications for future research based on this argument and for those leading PL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Incremental and Innovative Approaches to Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 465 KiB  
Article
Incremental Growth through Professional Learning Communities of Math Teachers Engaged in Action Research Projects
by Liza Bondurant
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(10), 1104; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14101104 - 11 Oct 2024
Viewed by 986
Abstract
This study investigates the experiences of a professional learning community (PLC) composed of six secondary math teachers enrolled in a graduate math methods course. Through the discussion of educational texts and collaborative inquiry, the teachers identified classroom challenges they aimed to address through [...] Read more.
This study investigates the experiences of a professional learning community (PLC) composed of six secondary math teachers enrolled in a graduate math methods course. Through the discussion of educational texts and collaborative inquiry, the teachers identified classroom challenges they aimed to address through individual action research projects. The PLC provided a supportive environment for teachers to share their processes, receive peer feedback, and collectively reflect. This study underscores the value of action research and PLCs in driving educational improvement. By engaging in structured inquiry within a collaborative setting, teachers gained insights into pedagogical issues, developed targeted incremental interventions, and contributed to the broader discourse on math education pedagogy. The collaborative PLC model facilitated reflective practice, challenged assumptions, and empowered teachers as agents of change. Implications for teacher professional development, instructional practices, and future research directions are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Incremental and Innovative Approaches to Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 229 KiB  
Article
Supporting Mathematics Instructors’ Transition to Equity-Minded Active Instruction Using a Community of Practice Framework
by Alison S. Marzocchi, Amelia Stone-Johnstone, Kristin Kurianski and Roberto C. Soto
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 1001; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14091001 - 11 Sep 2024
Viewed by 571
Abstract
With evidence mounting on the benefits of equity-minded and active mathematics instruction, increasing numbers of mathematics faculty members are seeking to transform their instruction. Yet, many lack the skills and/or confidence to make the transition. To support faculty in meaningful instructional improvement, the [...] Read more.
With evidence mounting on the benefits of equity-minded and active mathematics instruction, increasing numbers of mathematics faculty members are seeking to transform their instruction. Yet, many lack the skills and/or confidence to make the transition. To support faculty in meaningful instructional improvement, the authors of this paper facilitate frequent and innovative professional development (PD) guided by a community of practice framework. PD is intentionally designed to be incremental and supportive. Using one-on-one interview data from ten faculty participants who participated in PD on equity-minded and active mathematics instruction, we report on three crucial characteristics of a community of practice: the domain, the community, and the practice. Findings have implications for mathematics departments that aspire to support instructors to transform their teaching. Incremental PD guided by a community of practice framework could support faculty through the challenges of instructional transformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Incremental and Innovative Approaches to Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers)
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-7
Back to TopTop