Understanding Mathematics Teachers’ Advice-Seeking Networks: What Influences From Whom Teachers Seek Advice on Teaching Mathematics?

• In Event: Research on Issues in Teacher Education and Teacher Practice

Abstract

This study investigates from whom teachers seek advice about mathematics instruction by analyzing data about teachers’ advice-seeking interactions with colleagues, examining the characteristics of the teachers’ themselves and the characteristics of their colleagues, within the context of broader instructional improvement efforts in four large urban school districts. We add to previous literature by investigating the influence of expertise (e.g., mathematical knowledge for teaching, instructional practice) and aspects of the organizational context (e.g., participation in collaborative meetings together, accountability pressures). Preliminary findings suggest that teachers who participate in collaborative meetings together seek advice from one another more frequently and the role of relative expertise in teachers’ decisions about advice-seeking interactions requires further investigation.

Authors

• Anne Garrison Wilhelm, Southern Methodist University

• I-Chien Chen, Michigan State University

• Tom Smith, Vanderbilt University