Further information Immersion into Solving Mathematical Problems	Immersion in Number Theory
	Setting This example of professional development is a six-week course in number theory for teachers and high school students, at Boston University, facilitated by Al Cuoco, Michelle Manes, and Glenn Stevens. Participants engage in solving problem sets consisting of about 30 problems each day. They also attend daily lectures focused on mathematics they encountered in the problem sets and problem solving seminars with mathematics faculty. Teachers participating in the program have five seminars throughout the school year to connect their mathematics immersion experience with their own classroom practice.
Professional Development Strategy Secondary mathematics teachers learn challenging mathematics and make connections to their own classroom practice. Goals of this Example of Professional Development Deepen teachers’ understanding of advanced mathematics Engage in collaborative mathematics problem solving Identify ways to apply new content knowledge to classroom practice	What You Can Gain From Using this Video Ideas for using mathematics experts to deepen teacher learning See collegial teams work together to solve mathematics problems

Immersion into Solving Mathematical Problems

Immersion into solving mathematical problems is the structured opportunity to experience, first-hand, mathematics content and processes. First, by becoming a learner, teachers deepen their own understanding of the mathematics content that they are teaching their students. Second, by experiencing the processes for themselves, teachers are better prepared to help students become active, engaged mathematical problem solvers.

Using this strategy is based on the assumption that teachers benefit from experiences grounded on the same principles that they are expected to implement with students. However, it is important to note that teachers must become learners by being challenged at their own level of competence. By engaging in activities appropriate for adult learners, rather than doing student activities, teachers are able to investigate mathematics content for their own learning.

The Strategy in Action

Immersion is an intensive learning experience that requires time for teachers to focus on learning mathematics in depth. They need to participate fully in the generation of compelling questions, conduct investigations that allow them to make meaning out of mathematical activities, collect and organize data, make predictions, measure and graph, and gain a deeper and broader view of the mathematics concepts they are investigating. The goal of these experiences is to engage teachers in first-hand learning of what they are expected to practice in their classrooms -- guiding students through complex problem solving.

One of the most important elements in making this strategy work is the involvement of qualified instructors who have used this technique successfully with students. A second crucial component is a commitment to a long-term experiences. Immersion experiences cannot be conducted in one-time-only workshops.

One outcome from in-depth immersion in the problem solving process is a change in teachers' conceptions of the nature of mathematics learning and teaching. As teachers begin to see mathematics teaching as less a matter of knowledge transfer and more an activity in which a problem is explored and the math content embedded in it is investigated in depth, they see their own role as teacher changing from a direct conveyor of knowledge to a guide helping students develop their own meaning from experience.

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Immersion in Spatial Reasoning Immersion in Number Theory Examining Content and Student Thinking