Incremental Professional Development for Fostering Small-Group Discourse

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: A Symposium of Innovative Attempts Toward Incremental Change for Mathematics Teachers

Abstract

Productive mathematical discourse involves students providing explanations and critically listening to and evaluating the ideas of others (e.g., Bishop, 2021; Ing et al., 2015; NCTM, 2014; NGA & CCSS, 2010) and is associated with students’ mathematical understanding and achievement (Bishop, 2021; Ing et al., 2015). However, such high-level discourse takes time to develop (Hufferd-Ackles et al., 2004) and is impacted by how teachers structure lessons and interact with students (Steele, 2019).

The present qualitative case study reports on an incremental professional development that guides teachers through a two-phase process to enhance small-group, student-to-student discourse. In particular, three research questions were addressed: (1) What is the teacher’s experience when engaging in incremental PD? (2) How do tools support the teacher as she progresses through the incremental PD? (3) How does the teachers’ practice change over time?

One middle school mathematics teacher implemented the incremental stages of the two-phase process with support from a mathematics teacher educator (MTE). In Phase 1, the teacher assessed current discourse of small groups through three lenses: Group Dynamics, Discourse Quality, and Teacher Support. The teacher used what she learned from Phase 1 as she moved to Phase 2 wherein she set goals for groups, planned talk moves that aligned with each group’s dynamics, implemented the talk moves, and reflected on the impact of the talk moves. Additionally, the teacher used four tools aligned with each aspect of the process. The teacher repeated this process each academic quarter with new groups in her classroom. The teacher engaged in this work with only two groups (focus groups), one in each of two seventh-grade mathematics classes, allowing her to become familiar with the process on a much smaller scale.

The MTE conducted weekly observations of small-group work in the two seventh-grade classes and debrief meetings during which the teacher shared her reflections, the MTE provided feedback, and they made plans for the following week. The MTE used the four tools to evaluate the small-group discourse documented in the observation fieldnotes, ultimately creating a focus group profile each quarter. The debrief meetings were recorded, transcribed, and coded using the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967).

Analyses revealed that, despite initial challenges, the two-phase process became integrated into the teacher’s practice enabling the teacher to identify and build upon incremental improvements in the small-group discourse. As the teacher became more familiar with the approach, she was able to move through the process more quickly and implement it with groups other than the focus groups and in some of her other classes. The tools helped the teacher understand the intricacies of and norms surrounding productive small-group discourse, served as a means of documentation during lessons, and enabled more formalized reflection after lessons. Further, the tools provided a level of autonomy for the teacher with respect to making decisions about the pace through which she progressed through the phases. Overall, the findings demonstrate how incremental PD supports sustainable changes in a teacher’s practice and student engagement in productive mathematical discourse.

Author

• Sarah Quebec Fuentes, Texas Christian University