A routine for supporting mathematics teacher educators’ collective inquiry into their teaching practices

Abstract

This paper reports on an exploratory study examining the learning potential of a routine intended to support mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) in improving their work with mathematics teachers. This routine, which we term collective MTE inquiry, consists of five elements: (a) the selection of a common mathematics task, (b) one-on-one planning conversations between each participating MTE and a colleague, (c) the implementation of the common task, (d) one-on-one debriefing conversations between each participating MTE and a colleague, and (e) a collective debriefing. We examined a case in which the four authors, all of whom are MTEs at different institutions in the USA, enacted the collective MTE inquiry routine. We analyzed this focal case to understand the insights that arose as the MTEs participated in the routine, as well as when in the routine those insights occurred. We identified 41 distinct insights in the focal case, which we organize into six broad types. The majority of the insights occurred during the collective debriefing, suggesting that this was a particularly generative element of the routine. Our findings contribute to research examining the activities and routines that can give rise to MTE learning opportunities, particularly those that are beneficial for MTEs collaborating across institutions.