THE GENESIS OF A YOUNG RESEARCHER’S PAPER IN A JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICS (TEACHER) EDUCATION Konrad Krainer Austria YESS-3, Jyväskylä YERME Summer School

Background: the young researcher Susan D. Nickerson (US): starting as mathematics teacher; research, evaluation and journal assistant 2001 PhD (Dissertation: Supporting students’ understanding of Algebra) During finishing dissertation: collaboration project of University with School District  post-doc-position 2003 paper submitted to the Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (together with Gail Moriarty)  paper published in JMTE 8.2 (2005)

Background: a school district’s initiative School reform initiative in a large urban district: improving mathematics teachers’ practice and student learning (grades 4-6) Supporting the eight lowest-performing elementary schools (courses + site-based support) Working with mathematics 32 teachers Research focus: emergence of site-based professional communities

Results At some schools communities emerged, at others not Five aspects that account for the development of teachers’ professional communities, e.g. Teachers’ relationship with school administrators Presence or absence of a teacher leader Teachers’ expectation that every child can learn Influence of teachers’ content and pedagogical content knowledge

Theoretical perspective Strengths of the paper from the beginning Discussing current theoretical approaches Choosing one approach (Secada & Adajian) Using this approach also when analyzing the data Improvements initiated by review process Explaining communalities and differences between used notions (communities of practice, teachers’ professional communities)

Methodology & data (1) Strengths of the paper from the beginning Using manifold and relevant data (field notes, interviews, written reflections, …) Using four (out of Creswell’s eight) verification procedures Prolonged engagement (> two years) Triangulation (view of researchers, teachers, instructors, administrators, …) Negative case analysis (looking for disconfirming evidence) Member checks (asking others for their view regarding the credibility of findings)

Methodology & data (2) Strengths of the paper from the beginning Taking two contrasting cases (representing the extremes: Palm and Harbor View) Clear description of data analysis Phase 1: Examining field notes on a case-by-case basis (in relation to theoretical approach) Phase 2: Hypothesizing aspects of teachers’ professional lives (finding patterns)

Methodology & data (3) Improvements initiated by review process Explaining better the nature of the data sources Drawing a table that explains the various data and who collected it Illustrating the types of questions that were used (to test teachers’ content and pedagogical content knowledge) Explaining the role of the authors (and the role of other people concerned) and the nature of the research (intervention research)

Results & discussion Strengths of the paper from the beginning Working out several aspects that influenced the development of teachers’ professional communities Improvements initiated by review process Sketching the recent development at the school sites Reflecting the nature of research (intervention research) Open question: The importance of teachers’ pre-knowledge

What are important dimensions to promote mathematics teachers’ growth? Teachers‘ content knowledge (mathematics) Teachers‘ ability (and love) to support students‘ learning (pedagogy) Teachers‘ personality (psychology) Teachers‘ communication (sociology) External resources and expectations (policy: input, processes and output)

What are important dimensions to improve mathematics teaching at schools? Three dimensions (Co‘s): Content: Interesting mathematical activities, observations and reflections, etc. Community: Collaborating in order to learn autonomously and to support others‘ learning Context: Building on conducive general conditions (resources, structures, commitment) Austria: Support system IMST at national, regional and local level – Innovations in Math, Science & Techn Teaching