Hidden Dimensions in the Professional Development of Mathematics Teachers : In-Service Education for and With Teachers

Professional development is often determined by black and white thinking. Either issues are considered as being good or bad, or statements like teachers should or teachers must are transported. However, it is easily forgotten from which perspective the judgment is taken, surely it is not the teacher's one. Profoundly respecting and cherishing the teachers and their needs, allows for arriving at a vision of professional development that is for and with teachers, instead being simply about them. Such a vision encompasses support on many levels, as the following teacher statement so aptly points to: Edith: And if we then, and I am now talking of Mathematics Done Differently, are fortunate that such terrific mathematicians come into the school, this here is an experience that one could not have if one would drive elsewhere to attend an in-service course. [...] That we as teachers see that support from outside is provided, that we will be supported, is important [...]. This book presents the field of mathematics teacher professional development both from a theoretical and an empirical perspective. In particular, the initiative Mathematics Done Differently that has been run in Germany is presented, in whose context the data of the empirical study was gathered. The empirical findings led to postulating a model describing teachers' individual growth pathways and to providing implications for constructing practices that are based on what teachers really need. Cover......Page 1 Hidden Dimensions in the Professional Development of Mathematics Teachers......Page 2 ISBN: 9789460914324 (hardback)......Page 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS......Page 6 INTRODUCTION......Page 8 NOTES......Page 11 GENERAL REMARKS......Page 12 IDENTIFYING THE RELEVANT VARIABLES......Page 13 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH......Page 14 PHILOSOPHIES OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT......Page 20 TEACHER ‘CHANGE’ VERSUS TEACHER GROWTH......Page 24 TEACHER IDENTITY......Page 36 NOTES......Page 38 MODELING TEACHER LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT......Page 40 MAJOR PRACTICAL MODELS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT......Page 48 IN-SERVICE EDUCATION AND TRAINING......Page 49 EFFECTS OF IN-SERVICE EDUCATION AND TRAINING......Page 51 TEACHERS’ NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS......Page 64 SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS......Page 68 EDUCATIONAL DEBATE......Page 70 Supply or Demand Oriented In-service Training......Page 72 Subject Matter or Pedagogical Content Themes Provided by In-service Training......Page 73 TWO SPECIFIC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS......Page 75 SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS......Page 80 NOTES......Page 81 GENERAL REMARKS......Page 82 PHILOSOPHY AND DESIGN OF THE PROJECT......Page 83 OVERVIEW ON THE COURSE SITUATION......Page 96 NOTES......Page 97 SYNTHESIS AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS......Page 98 Quantitative approach.......Page 100 Qualitative data.......Page 101 Development and implementation of the questionnaire.......Page 102 Methodological aspects of the interviews.......Page 103 Interviews......Page 105 NOTES......Page 106 Determining the Number of Factors......Page 108 Empirical Dimensions of Teachers’ Needs......Page 110 Frequencies within the Dimensions......Page 113 Importance of the subject department.......Page 114 Support by school policy.......Page 115 Necessity of professional development.......Page 116 Implementation and practicability.......Page 117 Sustained collaboration.......Page 118 Correlations among the Dimensions......Page 119 NOTES......Page 120 THE PROCESS OF CONTENT ANALYSIS......Page 122 DIMENSIONS OF TEACHERS’ VIEWS ON THEIR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT......Page 123 SYNTHESIS AND CONCLUDING REMARKS......Page 146 NOTES......Page 148 Lessons Learnt from Teachers......Page 150 Understanding professional development as continuous learning between theory and practice.......Page 151 Establishing a supportive culture for teachers pursuing their professional development.......Page 152 Enabling teachers to develop a sense of ownership and partnership.......Page 153 Acknowledging teacher beliefs and affect in the field of professional development.......Page 154 Establishing a market view on professional development.......Page 155 Providing flexibility instead of standardization while offering professional development.......Page 156 Concluding Remarks......Page 157 FUTURE PROSPECTS......Page 160 NOTES......Page 161 REFERENCES......Page 162 Mathematics teacher professional development : theoretical perspectives Mathematics teacher professional development : theoretical models Mathematics teacher professional development : a German perspective Mathematics done differently : a professional development initiative Empirical approach and methodology Results of the empirical study : quantitative data analysis Results of the empirical study : qualitative data analysis.