A Critical Examination of the Impacts and Lessons Learned from a Professional Development Program for Out-of-Field Mathematics Teachers

Abstract

<p style="text-align:justify">As international concerns about the prevalence of out-of-field teaching have grown, so have discussions about how to support out-of-field teachers. In Ireland, the Professional Diploma in Mathematics for Teaching, a two-year professional development program, was created for out-of-field mathematics teachers. A pre-test, post-test, and final survey examined the program’s impact on participating teachers’ mathematical knowledge, confidence in teaching curricular content, and classroom practice. Findings offer evidence of development in participating teachers’ mathematical knowledge and self-efficacy after completing the program. They also raise important concerns about persistent weaknesses in participating teachers’ mathematical knowledge, particularly related to key areas of the curriculum.</p>

The Contribution of Professional Learning Community of Pedagogical Instructors, Training Teachers and Teaching Students within a Clinical Model for Teacher Education to Their Professional Development

“…Most of the participants emphasized that partnership and cooperation in the community is expressed by understanding the mutual needs of each of the partners and making joint decisions. Regarding personal traits and inner knowledge of the participants, the findings are in line with those of (Paolucci et al, 2021), who found that increases in teachers' mathematical knowledge and self-efficacy along with self-reported impact on practice are positive outcomes. This is similar to what has been reported by (Avidov-Ungar, 2017;Cary, 2002) that in learning communities it turns out that there is significant collaboration and collaborative learning in the social context, which enriches all group members in terms of positivity, confidence and accumulative knowledge.…”

“…However, results regarding their effectiveness have been inconsistent (Prenger et al, 2018). Besides, identifying specific content areas for which weaknesses in the teachers' knowledge persisted is important for the improvement of this particular professional development program (Paolucci et al, 2021). Today, many countries adopt the model due to various incentives that shape the characters and goals of the community.…”

“…Ridley et al (2005) addressed partnership models, and their role in reducing the dropout of teaching students. In the same context, (Paolucci et al, 2021) performed a critical examination of the impact and lessons learned from a professional development program for out-of-field mathematics teachers.…”