Working Toward a Spectrum of Collegiality to Describe Mathematics Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Advisor
Joseph DiNapoli
Access Type
Event
Start Date
26-4-2024 12:45 PM
End Date
26-4-2024 1:44 PM
Description
There is a strong need for professional development (PD) that supports teachers in developing instructional practices that align to ambitious visions of mathematics instruction (Gallagher, 2016; Rosli & Aliwee, 2021; Sztajn et al., 2017). Collegial conversations, which are characterized by deep collaboration and inquiry habits of mind, enrich discourse among PD participants and facilitate professional growth (Evans, 2012; Zepeda, 2020). The goal of this poster is to share empirical findings that explore the nature of collegial conversations and their connections to teacher learning within professional learning communities (PLCs) engaged in research-based mathematics PD. This study examined four PLCs over a three year period. We used frame analysis to study how these teachers collectively shaped and structured meanings through participation and reification in a community of practice (Bannister, 2015, 2018). Part of our initial analysis included classifying PLC members’ suggested teaching moves as one of eight different types of talk turn (articulating, punctuating, bridging, amplifying, extending, transforming, disputing, or countering; Benford & Snow, 2000), classifying transforming, disputing and countering talk turns as collegial and the other five as congenial. Through this binary lens, we found evidence that collegial conversations facilitated teacher learning about ambitious teaching practices. Later analysis revealed that moving beyond this binary lens to view collegiality on a spectrum provided a more nuanced understanding of the connections between collegial conversations and teacher learning, and that all types of talk turns hold some potential for collegiality. These findings highlight the vital role collegial conversations play in PD to promote teacher learning.
Working Toward a Spectrum of Collegiality to Describe Mathematics Teacher Learning in a Community of Practice
There is a strong need for professional development (PD) that supports teachers in developing instructional practices that align to ambitious visions of mathematics instruction (Gallagher, 2016; Rosli & Aliwee, 2021; Sztajn et al., 2017). Collegial conversations, which are characterized by deep collaboration and inquiry habits of mind, enrich discourse among PD participants and facilitate professional growth (Evans, 2012; Zepeda, 2020). The goal of this poster is to share empirical findings that explore the nature of collegial conversations and their connections to teacher learning within professional learning communities (PLCs) engaged in research-based mathematics PD. This study examined four PLCs over a three year period. We used frame analysis to study how these teachers collectively shaped and structured meanings through participation and reification in a community of practice (Bannister, 2015, 2018). Part of our initial analysis included classifying PLC members’ suggested teaching moves as one of eight different types of talk turn (articulating, punctuating, bridging, amplifying, extending, transforming, disputing, or countering; Benford & Snow, 2000), classifying transforming, disputing and countering talk turns as collegial and the other five as congenial. Through this binary lens, we found evidence that collegial conversations facilitated teacher learning about ambitious teaching practices. Later analysis revealed that moving beyond this binary lens to view collegiality on a spectrum provided a more nuanced understanding of the connections between collegial conversations and teacher learning, and that all types of talk turns hold some potential for collegiality. These findings highlight the vital role collegial conversations play in PD to promote teacher learning.