Improving Mathematics Teaching Through Leadership and Teacher Professional Development

Who Should Attend

• Mathematics teachers and teacher leaders
• Administrators responsible for mathematics programs
• Mathematics professional developers

Goals of the Workshop Sessions

Efforts focus on local needs and the needs of teachers to effectively engage all students in mathematics learning. Workshop sessions for teachers are designed to help them increase their understanding of student mathematical thinking, consider the implications for their teaching, and improve their classroom practice.

Leaders learn about how to support teachers in these efforts, through supervision and professional development.

Format of the Workshop Sessions

WestEd mathematics educators customize a workshop series of four to ten sessions in two-hour, half-day, or full-day units Strategies employed in the sessions include case discussions, analyzing student thinking, and immersion in mathematics problem-solving.

What You Learn

Teacher Professional Development
These sessions enhance teachers' content knowledge and understanding of student thinking. Teachers deepen their own understanding of mathematics, of student thinking, and of mathematics teaching and learning as they

• Assess student understanding through careful analysis of a set of selected responses from their own students
• Use point rubrics for scoring student work and use student performance to inform practice
• Modify test items to provide useful, informal tasks and learning experiences aligned with standards
• Learn about a variety of questioning strategies and the use of interview to assess student understanding and plan lessons
• Examine and reflect on their own practice and think about the implications of these critical dimensions on their own mathematics instruction

Leadership Development
Administrator Series: Participants learn what to look for when observing mathematics classes and what to discuss following observations. While deepening their understanding of mathematics, administrators explore how children's mathematical thinking develops, think about standards-based mathematics teaching, and apply these experiences to their own work.
Teacher Leader Series: Participants develop skills in the areas of deepening mathematics content understanding; designing, facilitating, and evaluating professional development; and communicating and building support for the mathematics program, enabling them to design and implement quality mathematics professional development.

Who Facilitates Your Learning

WestEd mathematics educators with extensive experience as teachers, professional developers, curriculum developers, and authors collaborate with you to plan, customize, and facilitate sessions at your school, district, or regional site.

What Resources Support Your Learning

Based upon your identified needs and specific workshop topics, a variety of materials may be used in the sessions, including the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics; your state or local standards; WestEd products including Learning from Assessment: Tools for Examining Assessment Through Standards, Second Edition; Inspired by Standards: Math Teachers in Their Classrooms, Dilemmas in Professional Development: A Case-Based Approach to Improving Practice; and a video-based leadership curriculum currently under development at WestEd.

What the Research Says

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (PSSM) presents an exciting yet demanding vision for mathematics classrooms that underscores the need for mathematics professional development. PSSM indicates, "there is an urgent and growing need for mathematics teacher-leaders.…[and] like all teachers, mathematics teacher-leaders must themselves engage in ongoing learning and professional development" (NCTM, 2000).

What Is the Cost

The minimum cost is $2,500 plus travel expenses.

Contact Information

Cathy Carroll
650.381.6422
ccarrol@wested.org