Fostering professional responsibility through high-quality professional learning opportunities

ABSTRACT

This study builds on another project focused on primary grade teachers’ integration of technology (screencasting). Original findings showed that participating teachers changed their practices to better align with research-based practices in early mathematics teaching. Two years later, the authors returned to the district to work with teachers from the initial study. Teachers referenced the effect of the original study’s professional development on their current practices. Here, the authors describe how they implemented a grounded theory approach to show how the project’s professional learning opportunities supported the teachers in developing professional responsibility, a code of ethics that allows them to teach in a manner aligned with their values. They describe how the teachers demonstrated a new conception of their role of teacher, a growing sense of autonomy and curricular control, and a recognition that their work helped students. They also began to take on leadership roles in their schools, district, and state.

KEYWORDS:

• Coaching
• professional learning community
• professional responsibility
• collaboration
• autonomy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Supported by the National Science Foundation [grant DUE-1238253 and DRL 1626365]. Opinions expressed in this manuscript are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Shannon Larsen

Shannon Larsen, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Elementary Education at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF). Shannon has experience working as both an elementary classroom teacher and a K–8 mathematics coach. In addition to teaching undergraduate methods courses, Shannon has helped to develop the Maine Mathematics Coaching Project at UMF. Shannon’s research interests focus on how teachers (pre- and in-service) learn to improve their practice.

Kelly McCormick

Kelly McCormick, PhD, is a Professor of Mathematics Education in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Southern Maine, where she has taught mathematics education courses for the past 15 years. Her scholarship focuses on creating opportunities to help children learn mathematics in deep and meaningful ways and on preparing pre-service and in-service teachers to help children make sense of mathematics and use mathematics to better understand the world around them.