Professional Development - Head Start - U.S. Department of Health ...

In my quest to find a model for professional development
that would meet teacher concerns and best impact
student learning in mathematics, I have formed several
guiding principles.
Models of Professional Development
Four particular models have produced some excellent
results. Each model has specific strengths and some cautions
that need to be addressed before the model is implemented.
Study Groups
Groups of teachers meet to discuss texts or modeled
lessons, view videotapes of classroom events, or analyze
children’s work products. A facilitator guides the discussions;
however, participants generally set their own goals
for the next session.
� Strengths—Contextualized in classroom settings, this
model can be an excellent combination of the
teacher’s voice and expertise. If well facilitated, a
study group allows teachers to interact with and
learn from each other in a true learning community.
Modeled Lessons
Mathematics lessons are modeled by a facilitator,
classroom teacher, or a peer. Often these lessons are videotaped
for later review in a study group.
� Strengths—Lessons modeled in real classrooms provide
authenticity to any innovation. The familiar
excuse, “It won’t work in MY class!” is best
addressed with this model.
“Trainer of Trainers” Workshop Model
This is a model that trains teachers to be teacher leaders.
This model requires that teachers learn new content
and/or teaching strategies and present them at a workshop
or institute for other teachers.
� Strengths—In well-designed workshops, teachers
have the opportunity to both learn mathematics as
32 2007
Audiences/Methods
BY J UANITA C OPLEY
FOCUSED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR
TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS
LEARNERS and as TEACHERS. Because they experience
both roles, they truly become members of the
“learning community” and learn with the primary
purpose of teaching others.
Collaboration Between Novices and Experts
These are practices that facilitate the collaboration
between beginning and experienced teachers or preservice
and in-service teachers. In the best scenarios, the teachers
work together in a coaching relationship, both teaching
and observing children as they learn mathematics.
� Strengths—Both novices and experts learn with this
model when teachers volunteer to be part of this collaboration.
The excitement of new ideas and the
blending with well established methods can result in
real learning for both teachers and students.
I am a strong advocate for what I call “focused professional
development.” Each of the sites I work with is
unique; every group of teachers requires a different blend of
models or a particular focus for professional development.
In some cases, the collaboration between novices and
experts is widely accepted and if study groups and lesson
modeling are included, powerful professional development
occurs. In other cases, the “trainer of trainers” workshop
model produces a strong cadre of mathematics teachers who
in turn work in collaboration with other teachers in study
groups or modeling lessons. In still other cases, teachers
need to be introduced to new mathematics ideas or innovations
slowly and observe many teaching models before they
are ready to come together as a community of learners, collaborate
with novices, or participate in study groups. The
principle that there is not one perfectmodel is essential to
this idea of “focused professional development.”
Important, as well, are the principles of focused debriefing
in a learning community. Please note that in each of the
models presented, debriefing in some type of learning community
is a critical component. The teachers involved in
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