Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Preferences and Rationales for Selecting Instructional Nudges in Online Professional Development

• In Event: Developments in Mathematics Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

Abstract

Researchers are attempting incremental professional development (PD) that aim to foster small changes to instruction. Within one such PD project, we analyze teachers’ perceptions of instructional nudges—modest instructional suggestions delivered, in this instance, asynchronously as single-page documents. We report the nudges to which the 40 mathematics teachers responded most positively and negatively. The stated reasons for their perceptions primarily entailed how they felt the nudges affect students. They also opted against nudges in areas where they already had a preferred practice or that did not resonate with their personal style, and opted for nudges they felt were slight improvements to practice. Our data suggest these distinctions are not found in the nudges per se but, rather, depend on individual teachers.

Authors

• Samuel Otten, University of Missouri

• Olumide Banjo, University of Missouri

• Zandra de Araujo, University of Florida

• Amber Grace Candela, University of Missouri - St. Louis