Orchestrating Equitable and Productive Discussion: Elementary Teachers’ Implementation of Mathematics Professional Development

• In Event: Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Elementary and Early Childhood Math Professional Development

Abstract

Due to the variety of forces at work shaping the activities that take place in classrooms, a teacher may not be able to implement practices learned in professional development. We are examining data from a three-year professional development (PD) project as it relates to the question:
To what extent does participating in PD focused on equitable mathematics instruction correlate with teachers’ orchestrating equitable and productive mathematics discussions in elementary school classrooms?
Our study shows that commitment to equitable participation, faith in students’ abilities to figure things out for themselves and perceptions of curriculum demands differed among teachers and could account for the different ratings their classes received regarding equitable and productive discussions.

Authors

• Rebecca Ambrose, University of California - Davis

• Heather Martin, University of California - Davis

• Leslie C. Banes, University of California

• Rachel Marie Restani, University of California