Directions of research-informed PD

in UKAnne Watson

University of Oxford

NCETM Feb 2007

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Research into mathematics education

• About 20 active mathematics education research centres in UK universities

• More literature available on learning and teaching mathematics than any other subject

• International conferences: about two per month on average

• About 10 international journals of mathematics education research

• British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics: conferences and publications

• More known about successes and failures in teaching and learning mathematics than any other subject

• So how can professional knowledge and practice and research link more closely – and whose job is it?

Celia’s story

My story

Common features

• Maths

• Collegiality within and outside place of work

• Outside input

• Input outside

• Sustained over time to reach a …

• Shared goal

Some successful PD in UK

• LAMP/RAMP• OU Project Update • ATM 100% coursework • Mars/Shell Centre • MMU Mathematics in Context• Interactive Education Project• Many Right Answers (BSA/NCETM)• Lawrence Sterne School

Common features

• Maths

• Planned

• Informed

• Collegiality: teacher teams or teacher-researcher teams

• Intention to change

• Goals about students’ learning

Uncommon features

• Relative roles of teachers, tutors, researchers, other outsiders

• Sources of information

• ‘Width’ of teams

• Nature of goals

• Freedom

Contributing to researching classrooms

Contributing to researching change

Lesson Study

Learning study

Task-based teacher development

Planning-based teacher development

Multiple stories

Observation-based models

Behaviour as the focusWere links made?

Were examples given? How many examples were given?

How many students participated?

Were open or closed questions used?

Mathematics as the focus

What links were made? How might the links contribute to learners’ understanding?

How did these examples help students’ understanding?

What part did students’ contributions play in the unfolding maths story?

What mathematical thinking was prompted by the questions? ….

Shift to mathematics …Were links made?

Were examples given? How many examples were given?

How many students participated?

Were open or closed questions used?

What links were made? How might the links contribute to learners’ understanding?

How did these examples help students’ understanding?

What part did students’ contributions play in the unfolding maths story?

What mathematical thinking was prompted by the questions? ….

Habits of observation which are not inspectorial or managerial, but focus on the mathematics in teaching and learning

Three questions• How can a focus on learning maths

become ‘normal’ in practice?

• What ways of thinking about learning maths are promoted by different PD -research relationships?

• How can we use and build on our rich history and knowledge of maths-focused PD?