What teachers' want: Identifying mathematics teachers' professional learning needs

Abstract

This paper reports on three differing approaches to ascertaining the professional learning (PL) needs of teachers of mathematics that were used in three PL projects. In each case the approach used was constrained to some extent by the project brief, practical considerations, and stakeholders' preferences and abilities to contribute to determining the most useful focus of the PL. Nevertheless, there were consistent efforts to heed the advice in the literature about effective PL focussing on teachers' needs in their particular contexts. The results of each approach are described and lessons about effective ways to identify mathematics teachers' PL needs, and reasons for which teachers might be unwilling or unable to articulate their needs, are drawn from an overall analysis of the findings in relation to relevant literature on effective PL and teacher belief change. © The Author(s) & Dept. of Mathematical Sciences-The University of Montana.