The Effectiveness of Professional Development in Mathematics
Introduction
With the fast development of the world today, mathematics becomes important not only to the students who are studying it, but also to many individuals involved in science and technology. It has been reported that the importance of mathematics is two-fold, being essential in the advancement of science, on our understanding of the workings of the universe, and in the here and now it is important to individuals for personal development, both mentally and in the workplace (2004). Being good in mathematics not only boosts confidence, but also enable many individuals to appreciate the subject by studying it and learning it. The importance of mathematics transcends its difficulty and highlights its significance by its many applications in scientific, logical, and technological developments in the society today.
In most middle-income and low-income countries, education is not anymore a right, but is already considered a privilege. In contrast to the development of science and technology in many developed countries, is the decrease in the quality of education in other countries in line with the decline of the quality of life. In these low-income countries, skills in mathematics among other subjects become poor, as being affected by many different factors in the environment. Among these factors are poverty, malnutrition, wars and conflicts, and intellectual drain of many skilled professionals due to seek of better lives in developed countries. Some of these skilled workers include the teachers, who are supposedly teaching poor children in their homelands, but because of low income and a small number of benefits from the government, many opt to teach in other countries like the United States, United Kingdom and other economically-stable countries. From this situation, the knowledge and skills of many children and teachers are being sacrificed, leading to the deterioration of education in mathematics. This is the reason why different assessments must be done to improve the teaching skills of teachers in mathematics and arouse the interest of students as well.
Due to the importance of mathematics, it is also crucial if all teachers or professors educating mathematics to various schools and universities will have better opportunities on improvement and development regarding the subject matter. Thus, the concept of Professional Development in mathematics becomes essential in this aspect. This paper discusses the concept of professional development in mathematics. It also emphasizes its effectiveness and its role in the improvement and the development of mathematics in different academic institutions.
Literature Review
It has been reported that the ultimate worth of professional development for teachers is the essential role it plays in the improvement of student learning, which means that educators must pay attention to the results of professional development on job performance, organizational effectiveness, and the success of all subjects (1997). In addition, each professional development effort should be accompanied by a well-designed evaluation plan for determining its effectiveness, and because of the complexity of current changes in education, this plan should focus extensively on the use of ethnographic research (1997). It should also extend over time in order to describe and give value to the interrelationship of individual change and systematic change in education (1997).
As schools continue to move into different phases of educational reform, one factor that is consistent is the need for professional development (1997). Professional development is defined as a continuous process of improvement to promote high standards of academic achievement and responsible citizenship for all students ( 2006). It increases the capacity of all members of the learning community to pursue life-long learning ( 2006). Moreover, the standards for professional development are organized into three categories, namely context, content, and process ( 2006). Context addresses the organization or culture in which the new learning will be implemented; content refers to the skills and knowledge, both pedagogical and disciplinary, that effective educators need to possess or acquire through participation in professional development activities; and process, describes the means for the acquisition of the new knowledge and skills ( 2006). Furthermore, professional or staff development is effective when it is embedded in the school improvement process and aligned with curricular, instructional, and assessment decisions that result in improved achievement for all students ( 2006). This development will ensure the improvement of many aspects of the academic institution, in its aim to pursue in providing academic excellence and critical thinking of their students and teachers as well.
In relation to this, designing of professional development must be properly made to encourage better participation of teachers in different academic institutions. It has been reported that designing effective professional development, then, means understanding not only teacher’s learning needs, but also the students and communities they serve, and the factors that impact teachers’ lives (‘2006). To be most effective, professional development providers need to anticipate the barriers teachers will face, and make sure there is a plan for addressing, avoiding or getting around any obstacle in their path (‘2006).
In line with the aim of many academic institutions for professional development of teachers and students, an effective way to gauge the performance in mathematics in different schools was through the implementation of Numeracy Projects. It has been reported that the Numeracy Project Assessment (NumPA) is an integral part of the new teaching approach, which aims to improve student achievement in mathematics, by improving classroom teaching at all levels, and aims to improve teacher confidence through addressing content knowledge and understanding of effective teaching and learning in mathematics (2006). These evaluations are based on recent research in New Zealand and internationally, including an extensive workshop program and facilitators who then provide considerable in-class support, and through the professional development of teachers, they can learn to use the assessment as part of their regular classroom teaching (2006). The projects include the Early Numeracy Project (ENP) for years 0 to 3; the Advanced Numeracy Project (ANP) for years 4 to 6; the Intermediate Numeracy Project (INP) for years 7 to 8; the Te Poutama Tau, a project for teachers in Maori immersion settings; and the Secondary Numeracy Project (SNP) which began in 2005 (2006). A total of million annually through the year 2007 has been allocated to ensure all primary and intermediate teachers have the opportunity to participate (2006).
Methods and Results
The research evaluation of the Early Numeracy Project (ENP) had three approaches (2002). The first approach involved collecting data from all students and facilitators and from a random sample of participating teachers and principals, while the second approach was a case-study approach involving 10 teachers and 60 of their students (2002). The third approach involved assessing the students, teachers, and principals from 22 schools randomly selected from those who had participated in the CMIT pilot project in 2000 (2002). It has been reported that an approximately 15000 students were analyzed by subgroups according to biographic and demographic variables (2002). Results of the study suggest that student progress on The Number Framework has been impressive, as there was a strong positive growth in the five aspects of number learning assessed, irrespective of the students’ gender, age, ethnicity, or the school’s region or decile (2002). This improvement in number learning appears to be the direct result of participation in the ENP projects as the gains are greater than those expected to occur naturally over time (2002). In addition, participating teachers responded positively to the ENP, reporting increases in confidence and enthusiasm for teaching mathematics, and they also noted increased enjoyment of mathematics as a subject (2002).
The investigation of the Advanced Numeracy Project (ANP) comprised three main components, namely the quantification of student progress using The Number Framework, questionnaires to teachers and facilitators on the effectiveness of the teacher professional development program, and an examination by case study of how effective the facilitation of the program was in terms of developing teachers’ classroom practice in number (2002, p. 19). It has been reported that prior to the commencement of data gathering, ethical approval was sought from the College of Education Ethics Committee, which operates under the NZARE Code of Ethics, and to protect the privacy of the teachers and schools who took part in the evaluation, their names have been changed in the report (2002). Results of the study suggest that with the ANP, there was an increase in student achievement in number, as there was a clear growth across the six aspects of number assessed, irrespective of students’ age, gender, ethnicity, school region or decile (2002). Most student also became more sophisticated in their mathematical thinking as a result of taking part in the ANP, and was manifested in advancing to part or whole thinking by the final assessment (2002). In addition, students’ attitudes towards learning mathematics (as judged by teachers, principals, and facilitators) were improved as a result of their teachers participating in the ANP (2002). Similarly, teacher attitudes towards mathematics and the teaching of it were improved as a result of the knowledge they gained from participating in the project, such as their ability to identify barriers to student’s success (2002).
Taking the study of the ENP and the ANP as examples of the Numeracy Project Assessment, it can be observed that the methods used by the facilitators were effective in evaluating the performance of students and teachers in mathematics. Through the Numeracy Project Assessment, the teachers were given the chance to improve on their skills in teaching mathematics and the students were given the chance to increase their knowledge and improve their skills in solving mathematical problems. In general, the method of data gathering of the studies commences by a training program, which includes several days of participating and accomplishing questionnaires to solicit feedbacks on the perceptions of the participants on the effectiveness of the project (2002). In addition, questionnaires were sent to the teachers and principals in randomly selected schools, to collect relevant demographic and biographical details about participants (2002). Moreover, all the students in the classes of the participating teachers were assessed at the completion of the teachers’ training program (2002). The participating teachers were required to submit the results of the assessments, and the results were submitted electronically using a secure website (2002). It has been reported that the results are entered on a national website database and record students’ progress (2006). Schools can access the national data to establish targets for planning and reporting purposes (2006). Moreover, aside from the results, the gender, date of birth and ethnicity were obtained from the students (2002). As the students were linked to schools, their performance could also be reported with respect to region and decile (2002).
The methods used by the assessment is valid and appropriate, as it was able to fulfill its mission to improve student performance in mathematics through improving the professional capability of teachers (2006), as shown by the results of the assessments. In addition, it was able also to fulfill its aim that in 2005, most teachers of year 1 to 3 students, the majority of the teachers of year 4 to 6 students, and many of the teachers of year 7 and 8 students have had the opportunity to participate in the numeracy projects (2006). This is because of the dynamic and evolutionary approach of the projects to implementation and by developing understandings about mathematics learning and effective professional development (2006). Furthermore, the projects have been effective because of its flexibility in approach and maximization in sector involvement (2006).
Conclusion
Nowadays, majority of the Asian countries suffer from poverty and decline in the quality of the education. In comparison to the developed countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan, the quality of education has a high standard, as seen to fund and support various scientific and technological researches, which contribute to the continuous advancement and the development of the said countries. In relation to this, the skills and understanding of different subjects in different academic institutions, especially of mathematics, decreases or declines. The decline in the understanding of mathematics must not be so, as this is important with the development of science and technology in our age today. This issue has increased awareness in different parts of the world to give importance on improving education and especially focusing on improvement of mathematical expertise.
With the implementation of the Numeracy Project, it has somehow given its contribution in assessing the skills and learning of the teachers and the students regarding mathematics. It has been reported that the important contributions of the project include the improvement in learning and thinking strategies of children in early mathematics, the effective identification of teachers, and response to the learning need of the children, the characteristics of professional development programs that change teaching practice, and the effective facilitation of the project (2006).
Given these information, I believe that these have helped me to become more aware of the situation of other people around the world, in relation to education and economic status. It has made me realize to give importance to education, as it is a very essential aspect in individual development. With the implementation of the project, it can be deduced that the problem of loss of interest and appreciation, and the decline in the knowledge and understanding of mathematics can be solved by taking part in the project. Due to the success of the project in observing and assessing the improvement of many students and teachers in their performance in mathematics, this project must be implemented in other countries around the world. If this project will be implemented in other parts of the world, such as in Asia, many Asians will also be able to appreciate mathematics, improve their understanding and skills, and in turn contribute largely to the development of their country. In this way, the whole world will be able to share views with one another, and share success and development, which would lead to the betterment of the whole world.
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