Developing an attitude of inquiry toward
one’s practice
Several researchers have identified
teacher reflection on their practice and student learning as
critical to the success of school mathematics reform.
Darling-Hammond (1998) writes:
. . . teachers need to be able to analyze
and reflect on their practice, to assess the effects of their
teaching, and to refine and improve their instruction. They
must continuously evaluate what students are thinking and
understanding and reshape their plans to take account of what
they have discovered. (p. 2)
Barnett (1998) echoes
Darling-Hammond’s call for teacher reflection and inquiry:
Teacher inquiry plays a central role in
many of the prevailing conceptions of teacher learning
including critical reflection, reflection in and on action,
personal and pedagogical theorizing, narrative inquiry, action
research and teacher research. (p. 81)
Both researchers are building on the
foundation laid by Schon (1983, 1987), who was one of the first
to point out that teachers, just like professionals in other
fields, need to become reflective
practitioners. That is, they need
to develop the habit of critically examining their practice to
gain new insights on the teaching and learning of mathematics,
which Schon calls reflection-in-action. In the complementary process called reflection-on-action, teachers learn to approach situations of
uncertainty by bringing to bear all their professional
knowledge, in addition to their understanding of the specific
context, in order to make the best possible decisions.
Barnett (1998) also argues that teachers
should engage in inquiry about their practice not only by
themselves, in isolation, but also with others. This collective
inquiry and critical reflection can provide teachers with
opportunities to hear different perspectives. All participants
benefit from public scrutiny of the hypotheses suggested by
different individuals. Consequently, they collectively generate
new ideas and draw more sophisticated conclusions than they
might as individuals.
The ultimate goal of any professional
development program supporting school mathematics reform should
be to develop among teachers the mindset that they are lifelong
inquirers. This means both developing the appropriate
expectations and mindset, and providing teachers with
strategies and skills to inquire effectively.
Summary
Our analysis so far has identified a
complex set of teacher learning needs that professional
development initiatives supporting school mathematics reform
must consider seriously. This does not mean that any single professional
development initiative should – or even could – try
to address all of these needs at the same time. Rather,
different needs may call for different kinds of professional
development experiences, as we will discuss in more depth in
Chapters 4 to 8. In the next chapter, we will show how some
professional development programs have found non-traditional
yet successful ways to meet this challenge.
