Engaging Teachers to Engage Students with Mathematics: Building Teacher Capacity through Sustained Professional Development

The purpose of the sustained professional development program at Springvale Public School was to build the capacity of the teachers in Stages 2 and 3, in order to promote student engagement and eventually improve students’ learning outcomes in mathematics. This study illustrates that this type of sustained professional development can be successful, but needs to be continually maintained. Although the PD program ran for almost 18 months and there appeared to be significant changes in the teachers’ attitudes and practices, further PD would be of benefit, particularly with regard to the early career teachers. It is not clear yet whether there has been any improvement in student learning – this will become more obvious over time if the teachers’ practices continue to evolve and if the community of practice that had begun to develop continues. Although this study is limited to one school and a small group of teachers, further research into sustained mathematics PD would be of benefit, particularly in light of new accreditation requirements and the increasing availability of online professional development opportunities. Other research comparing the effectiveness of off-site (online or face-to-face) PD and in situ professional development in mathematics education would also be of benefit. The five key recommendations that evolved from the study are as follows: Recommendation 1: Support continuing professional development in mathematics Recommendation; 2: Provide space (face-to-face and online) for teachers to engage in professional dialogue; Recommendation 3: Continue professional relationship between school and outside experts; Recommendation 4: Expand the community of practice to other stakeholders; Recommendation 5: Develop a whole school philosophy of best practice in mathematics education.