Professional Development of Mathematics Teachers: Through the Lens of the Camera

Abstract

The VIDEO-LM project (Viewing, Investigating and Discussing Environments of Learning Mathematics), developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, is aimed at enhancing secondary mathematics teachers’ reflection and mathematical knowledge for teaching. In the project, videotaped lessons serve as learning objects and sources for discussions with teachers. These discussions are guided by an analytic framework, comprised of six viewing lenses: mathematical and meta-mathematical ideas; goals; tasks; dilemmas and decision making; inter- actions; and beliefs. To assess and characterize the impact of the project, data was collected from 17 different implementations of in-service VIDEO-LM courses around the country conducted by facilitators specifically qualified for this pursuit. This paper reports on some of the findings, with particular reference to possible mechanisms that can explain the processes of change that teachers undergo.