ERIC Number: EJ1056673
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1946-7109
EISSN: N/A
Much More than It's Cooked-up to Be: Reflections on Doing Math and Teachers' Professional Learning
Taton, Joshua A.
Penn GSE Perspectives on Urban Education, v12 n1 Spr 2015
The author argues that students' persistent struggles with mathematics suggest a new form of professional development for teachers is needed. The author draws on a model of professional learning in literacy education to propose an analogous model for mathematics education: teachers of mathematics need to produce mathematical ideas, themselves, in order to better support their students in becoming mathematical thinkers. It is not enough to focus singularly on developing teachers' content understanding, however, because mathematical ideas are embedded within their representational forms; therefore, any content-related professional development must also include pedagogical discussions. The author concludes by describing a research-based, high-quality professional development community--the Philadelphia Area Math Teachers' Circle (PAMTC)--in which authentic mathematical inquiry and pedagogical analysis occur hand-in-hand.
Descriptors: Reflection, Faculty Development, Mathematics Education, Training Methods, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Capacity Building, Teacher Effectiveness, Communities of Practice, Program Effectiveness, Instructional Improvement, Educational Practices, Educational Strategies, Educational Change, Improvement Programs, Elementary Secondary Education
University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education. 3700 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. e-mail: journal@gse.upenn.edu; Web site: http://urbanedjournal.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Pennsylvania
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A