ARAMAT: description and analysis of the impact of an in-service training program for mathematics teachers

Abstract

In the public sector, education administrations are responsible for providing continuous teacher training programs. From this point of view, the aim of this article is to describe and evaluate the impact of the ARAMAT training program, which the Departament d’Educació de la Generalitat de Catalunya commissioned the CREAMAT to improve the mathematics teaching of primary school teachers. In designing the program, the following criteria were considered: 1) to provide mathematical knowledge about content and processes; 2) to promote teachers' active participation in classroom practice and management through specifically designed activities; 3) to reflect on one's own teaching practice and methods. ARAMAT has been implemented in Catalonia to 3828 teachers from 2015 to 2020. For impact analysis, questionnaires have been administered after each training course and in 2022, to obtain additional data on the training received and future training needs. The results show a high overall satisfaction of teachers with the ARAMAT program, with an average score of 4.68 out of 5. Participants recognize the importance of addressing practical and classroom management issues to promote their professional development. It is concluded that there is a need to train all teachers by offering competency-based teaching at school level in order to achieve a more effective impact on mathematics teaching.