personal background
Effective Professional Development for Teachers of Mathematics: Key Principles from Research and a Program Embodying These Principles
Doug Clarke
Australian Catholic University (Melbourne, Australia)
Barbara Clarke
Monash University
(Victoria, Australia)
Abstract
A variety of curriculum and policy documents around the world have promoted a vision for mathematics teaching and learning that has growing support from the mathematics education community. There is increasing recognition, however, that without carefully planned professional development programs, the chances of widespread implementation of these exciting reforms is small. Support is essential for practising teachers who express an interest in teaching in a more “constructivist” way, with all that such teaching implies in terms of content, pedagogy, and assessment. This paper offers Strand II of the Study ten important principles from the research literature that can be used to guide the planning and implementation of professional development programs. This is followed by a discussion of the key features of a research and professional development program, the Early Numeracy Research Project (ENRP), in Victoria Australia. This project involved 70 schools, 350 teachers of five- to eight-year olds, and over 11,000 students. Information is provided on the three main components of this project: research-based growth points in young children’s mathematics learning; a one-to-one, task-based assessment interview; and a multi-level professional development program. The content and structure of the professional development program of the ENRP are then discussed in relation to the ten principles.
Effective Professional Development for Teachers of Mathematics: Key Principles from Research and a Program Embodying These Principles
Doug Clarke
Australian Catholic University (Melbourne, Australia)
Barbara Clarke
Monash University
(Victoria, Australia)
Ten Principles from Research on
Doug Clarke
Australian Catholic University (Melbourne, Australia)
Barbara Clarke
Monash University
(Victoria, Australia)
Abstract
A variety of curriculum and policy documents around the world have promoted a vision for mathematics teaching and learning that has growing support from the mathematics education community. There is increasing recognition, however, that without carefully planned professional development programs, the chances of widespread implementation of these exciting reforms is small. Support is essential for practising teachers who express an interest in teaching in a more “constructivist” way, with all that such teaching implies in terms of content, pedagogy, and assessment. This paper offers Strand II of the Study ten important principles from the research literature that can be used to guide the planning and implementation of professional development programs. This is followed by a discussion of the key features of a research and professional development program, the Early Numeracy Research Project (ENRP), in Victoria Australia. This project involved 70 schools, 350 teachers of five- to eight-year olds, and over 11,000 students. Information is provided on the three main components of this project: research-based growth points in young children’s mathematics learning; a one-to-one, task-based assessment interview; and a multi-level professional development program. The content and structure of the professional development program of the ENRP are then discussed in relation to the ten principles.
Effective Professional Development for Teachers of Mathematics: Key Principles from Research and a Program Embodying These Principles
Doug Clarke
Australian Catholic University (Melbourne, Australia)
Barbara Clarke
Monash University
(Victoria, Australia)
Ten Principles from Research on
References: Clarke, D. M. (1994). Ten key principles from research for the professional development of mathematics teachers. In D. B. Aichele & A. F. Croxford (Eds.), Professional development for teachers of mathematics (pp. 37-48). Reston, VA: NCTM. Clarke, D. M. (2001). Understanding, assessing and developing young children’s mathematical thinking: Research as powerful tool for professional growth. In J. Bobis, B. Perry, & M. Mitchelmore (Eds.), Numeracy and beyond (Proceedings of the 24th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Vol. 1, pp. 9-26). Sydney: MERGA. Clarke, D. M. (2003). Effective professional development: What does research say? (ACU/CEO Research Monograph Series). Melbourne, Australia: Mathematics Teaching and Learning Centre, Australian Catholic University. Clements, D. H., Swaminathan, S., Hannibal, M. A. Z., & Sarama, J. (1999). Young children’s conceptions of space. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 30(2), 192-212. Clements, M. A., & Ellerton, N. (1995). Assessing the effectiveness of pencil-and-paper tests for school mathematics. In MERGA (Eds.), Galtha (Proceedings of the 18th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, pp. 184-188). Darwin: MERGA. Lehrer, R., & Chazan, D. (1998). Designing learning environments for developing understanding of geometry and space. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Schlechty, P. (Ed .). (1983). Understanding and managing staff development in an urban school system. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Education. Wright, R. (1998). An overview of a research-based framework for assessing and teaching early number learning. In C. Kanes, M. Goos, & E. Warren (Eds.), Teaching mathematics in new times (Proceedings of 21st Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, pp. 701-708). Brisbane: MERGA.