Professional Development in Mathematics—Not Just for Teachers

1996 ◽  
Vol 178 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne H. Chapin

Professional development activities have historically targeted teachers as the recipients of reform efforts. In order to affect lasting change in terms of what mathematics is taught and how it is taught, however, programs must recognize the different intersecting needs and perspectives of a school's education constituencies—administrators, teacher-leaders, teachers, students, and parents. Professional development programs that include components for each group have the potential to dramatically extend the impact of the resources dedicated to the reform.

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Ingvarson ◽  
Marion Meiers ◽  
Adrian Beavis

This report examines effects of structural and process features of professional development programs on teachers' knowledge, practice and efficacy. It is based on four recent (2002-2003) studies undertaken through the Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme, designed to enhance teacher quality. The total data set for the survey study includes 3,250 teachers who had participated in eighty individual professional development1 activities within these studies. Teachers were surveyed at least three months after participating in an activity, which provided them with the opportunity to gauge the impact of programs on their practice. To investigate factors affecting impact, a theoretical model was developed based on recent research into the characteristics of effective professional development and tested using blockwise regression analysis. The model included contextual factors (e.g., school support), structural features of programs (e.g. ,length), process features (e.g., emphasis on content; active learning; examination of student work; feedback; follow-up), a mediating variable (level of professional community generated), and four outcome measures (knowledge; practice; student learning and efficacy). Consistent significant direct effects were found across the four studies for the impact of content focus, active learning, and follow-up on knowledge and professional community. Feedback was rarely incorporated into program design. Impact on efficacy was strongly related to the perceived impact of activities on teachers' practice and student learning outcomes.


Author(s):  
Mandy Frake-Mistak ◽  
Heidi L. Marsh ◽  
Geneviève Maheux-Pelletier ◽  
Siobhan Williams

In this chapter, the authors share their reflections on the practice of using a community-based approach to doing SoTL research. They examine two professional development programs at their respective institutions—York University and Humber College in Ontario, Canada—that support faculty members' engagement in SoTL research. EduCATE and the Teaching Innovation Fund are two variations of SoTL programs in which participants come together to engage in and support each other through the process of doing SoTL research and are organized around participants' individual goals rather than a predetermined set of outcomes. The authors provide a fulsome narrative and reflective account of the EduCATE and Teaching Innovation Fund programs with a particular focus on each program's development and relative success. Throughout, the impact of SoTL as a form of professional development is emphasized.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Ramos-Rodríguez ◽  
Elvira Fernández-Ahumada ◽  
Astrid Morales-Soto

A concern in Mathematics Education is the professional development of the teacher and to promote effective training programs. The literature provides principles guiding the design of such programs, which were considered for an instruction intended to strengthen the teacher’s practice in relation to the development of mathematical skills. The objective of this work was to study if the designed program was effective, in relation to the impact on the teacher’s teaching. A case study on a group of in-service teachers focused on the ability of mathematical modeling (MM) and their perspectives of this skill was carried out. This was divided into three moments: before, during, and after the program. The findings show that, before the program, teachers conceived modeling from epistemological, pragmatic and conceptual perspectives; during the program, they focused on the pragmatic and educational perspectives; and at the end of the program, the group was stripped of the pragmatic, epistemological and conceptual perspectives to move towards the educational and socio-critical. They were also able to justify the choice or disassociation of one or more of them. The study advances towards the concretion of more specific and robust professional development programs for mathematics teachers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 1243
Author(s):  
Shandra Nitalinawati

<p><strong>Abstract:</strong> This study aimed at exploring the perceptions of EFL novice and experienced teachers on the impact of professional development programs to their teaching practice. The design of this study is a descriptive study by using in-depth interviews for gaining the data. The result of this study revealed that novice and experienced teachers have different needs in developing their professionalism. This differences then lead to different preferences of development programs which really fulfill their needs and influence their teaching practice. Meanwhile, both teachers agree that the time permission is the most important factor of a successful development programs for teachers.</p><strong>Abstrak:</strong><em> </em>Penelitian ini menyelidiki persepsi guru Bahasa Inggris pemula dan guru berpengalaman dalam dampak kegiatan pengembangan keprofesian terhadap kegiatan pembelajaran mereka. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode wawancara mendalam dengan pertanyaan-pertanyaan terbuka. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa guru bahasa Inggris pemula dan berpengalaman memiliki kebutuhan yang berbeda dalam mengembangkan profesionalisme mereka. Perbedaan ini kemudian mengarah pada perbedaan pilihan kegiatan pengembangan keprofesian.


Author(s):  
Leyla Silman-Karanfil ◽  
Mark Ian Payne

The impact of professional development programs on teachers' beliefs is still an exploratory field, with existing research finding both positive and weak impacts of teacher education on teachers' beliefs. Building upon these findings, it is acknowledged that many challenges remain in designing focused professional development programs. This chapter addresses the problem by drawing on a study conducted with Higher Education teachers in North Cyprus. The study aimed to unveil teachers' beliefs about in-class code-switching in teaching a foreign language. Using a qualitative methodology, data in the form of classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, course documents and field notes were collected and analyzed thematically. Findings suggest that cultures of learning, that is teachers' frameworks of expectations about successful teaching and learning, have a significant impact on teachers' beliefs. The authors suggest that an acknowledgement of cultural frames will facilitate appropriate professional development.


1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 448-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. S. Mac Macpherson ◽  
Margaret Taplin

In this paper, we examine the policy preferences of Tasmania's principals concerning accountability criteria and processes, compare their views to other stakeholder groups, and identify issues that warrant attention in principals’ professional development programs. We show that there are many criteria and processes related to the quality of learning, teaching, and leadership that are valued by all stakeholder groups, including principals. We conclude that Tasmanian state schools probably need to review and develop their accountability policies, and that the professional development will need to prepare leaders for specific forms of performance and generate key competencies if more educative forms of accountability practices are to be realised in practice.


2009 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 702-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Webster-Wright

Continuing to learn is universally accepted and expected by professionals and other stakeholders across all professions. However, despite changes in response to research findings about how professionals learn, many professional development practices still focus on delivering content rather than enhancing learning. In exploring reasons for the continuation of didactic practices in professional development, this article critiques the usual conceptualization of professional development through a review of recent literature across professions. An alternative conceptualization is proposed, based on philosophical assumptions congruent with evidence about professional learning from seminal educational research of the past two decades. An argument is presented for a shift in discourse and focus from delivering and evaluating professional development programs to understanding and supporting authentic professional learning.


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