Supporting Teaching and Learning Reform in College Mathematics: Finding Value in Communities of Practice

Abstract

Improving college STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) student learning outcomes is an ongoing area of focus in Institutions of Higher Education (IHE). This reform includes challenging, changing, and adapting both teaching practices and the learning environment. Communities of practice (CoPs) can support faculty in making these shifts; however, creating large-scale instructional changes in STEM education requires a more careful look at the existing systems and structures in place. In this paper, we investigate a network of regional CoPs composed mainly of mathematics faculty from IHE focused on teaching with inquiry methods. Understanding what faculty need and value to support their instructional changes is important as CoPs and other mechanisms are put in place to increase student success. In this qualitative study, we use the value framework developed by Wenger et al. ( 2011 ) to dissect the variety of ways faculty engage and find value in their CoP participation. Faculty participants expressed that CoP participation created unique layers of value in helping them to identify resources to support teaching with inquiry especially during a pandemic, shift their beliefs about teaching, and engage with a network of peers about mathematics and teaching. Findings from this study, conducted during the COVID-19 global pandemic, provide preliminary insights for STEM stakeholders interested in large-scale, ongoing instructional reform to improve student learning outcomes and for networks interested in collectively supporting CoPs with ongoing rather than finite goals. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41979-021-00061-3.

A Network Model for Connecting Mathematics Faculty in Communities of Practice: Where is the Value?

“…Therefore, CoPs extend beyond collaboration and exhibit high levels of social bond, involvement, mutual help and support, sharing of meaning, and identity construction (Henri & Pudelko, 2003 ). Further, STEM CoPs in higher education have been shown to support innovation and change as a means to share knowledge, ideas, and resources (Austin, 2011 ; Gomez Johnson et al, 2021 ; Kezar et al, 2015 ). Organizational change theories highlight the importance of capitalizing on external pressures for disrupting organizations (e.g., using data, strategic planning goals) by creating spaces where groups and networks can broker change (Kezar, 2005 ; Kotter, 2012 ).…”

“…Many times these leaders look to others leading similar initiatives to brainstorm ideas and share resources at a more systematic level. CoP leaders find value in the ability to collaborate with other adjacent community leaders with similar shared interests (Gomez Johnson et al, 2021 ). Developing a network around a number of CoPs where not only the leaders, but also entire CoPs can leverage shared interests, resources, experiences, and overarching goals is a potential answer to the sustainability of individual CoPs.…”

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Fig. 1 Adaptation of Value Framework for CoPs from Gomez Johnson et al ( 2021 ) and Wenger et al ( 2011 )

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Research on the Teaching Reform of Dance Curriculum from the Perspective of Core Literacy Cultivation

“…The process of establishing core literacy needs to collect opinions from a wide range of education stakeholders and deal with the relationship between core literacy and education reform and development. Chen Yue, Liu Xiaoling and others start from the quality concept of core literacy training of college students, examine and reflect on the current situation of higher education, and put forward an effective implementation way to build core literacy training of college students [7] . Li Xiaojun, Xia Jianguo, Huang Kexiao and others analyze the dilemmas and problems faced in the comprehensive quality cultivation of students from the perspective of technical undergraduates' need to meet the demand of the society for multifaceted talents as well as the employment needs of individuals after receiving higher education, and put forward the proposal of "Strengthening the core literacy of technical and applied talents is a strategic choice for the reform and development of higher technical education", and suggest that it should be based on the concept of quality of students' core literacy cultivation in higher education.…”

STEM education institutional change projects: examining enacted approaches through the lens of the Four Categories of Change Strategies Model

“…There are broad calls going back decades to change Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) pedagogy in the service of improving student outcomes related to equity, retention of students, and student learning (Honey et al, 2020;Urbina-Blanco et al, 2020). In response to these calls, many different strategies to facilitate change in STEM teaching practices have been enacted and studied, such as communities of practice (Cross et al, 2021;Gehrke & Kezar, 2017;Johnson et al, 2021;Kandakatla & Palla, 2021;Ma et al, 2019), faculty learning communities (Cox, 2001;Shulman et al, 2004), faculty development workshops on evidencebased instructional practices (EBIPs) (Biswas et al, 2022;Derting et al, 2016;Haviland et al, 2010;Phuong et al, 2020), and efforts to build shared vision (Doten-Snitker et al, 2021), among others.…”