THE PRACTICE: Effective Professional Development for Middle School Mathematics
Content Presented By:
Eisenhower National Clearinghouse

What is it?

In order for teachers to be effective instructors, they must have both a solid foundation in content knowledge and a thorough understanding of good pedagogy. They must be models of learning and continue to grow in their own professional skills, mathematical understanding, and teaching practice. Therefore, it is essential that educators experience ongoing, meaningful opportunities to grow and develop their skills, to reflect on their practice, and deepen their content knowledge.

The availability and quality of professional growth opportunities directly impact teachers' ability to meet the requirements of the Teaching Principle in Principles and Standards for School Mathematices (PSSM): "Effective mathematics teaching requires understanding what students know and need to learn and then challenging and supporting them to learn it well" (p.16).

The resources that ENC has identified for providing effective professional development opportunities support the following three ideas as stated in PSSM:

• Teachers must have a deep knowledge and understanding of the mathematics content they teach.

  It would seem to be self-evident that in order to teach others, one must have knowledge of the material to be taught. And yet in many schools and classrooms, teachers are being asked to teach out of their area of expertise and so lack the confidence that comes with depth of knowledge. Teachers should have regular and ongoing opportunities to interact with and understand the content material and curriculum they teach.

• Teachers need to have a firm understanding of their students as learners and doers of mathematics.

  Students have different needs and blossom under different pedagogical strategies. Teachers need to be aware of assessment techniques, instructional methods, and other currents in pedagogy so as to best meet the varied educational needs of their students.

• Teachers need to have ample opportunity to reflect on and modify their practices.

  The traditional model of a one-day professional development workshop does not offer teachers the environment they need for reflection on their practices. And it is through continual self-assessment and reflection that teachers come to understand and modify their classroom behavior so as to enhance the mathematical teaching and learning of their students.

Questions to Think About:

Professional development opportunities are as varied as are districts and teachers. Financial constraints, time considerations, and other resource limitations influence the kinds of opportunities that are available.

Some questions to consider:

• What should the goal of professional development be?

• What constitutes effective professional development?

• How can one measure whether or not a given professional development program has been successful?

• What sort of follow-up should there be after any given professional development opportunity?

• What core values need to be in place before a systemic emphasis on professional development can have an influence on growth opportunities for teachers?

Another Consideration:

Professional development is most effective when it is ongoing, reflective, and integral to a teacher's professional experience. The opportunity to learn new ideas and skills must be matched by the opportunity to apply those ideas in the classroom, and that process can be difficult, time-consuming, and even threatening for both teachers and students who are confronting new ways of doing and thinking about mathematics.

Answer This Question: What role can and should teachers play in the design and implementation of their own professional development, especially when it could necessitate some drastic changes in their pedagogical practices?

This resource is developed and maintained by The Education Alliance at Brown University. Seed funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Send comments to: loom@alliance.brown.edu