International Approaches to Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers

Chapter 2: The Professional Development of a Mathematics Teacher in the Role of a Subject Leader

52 Chapter 2 The Professional Development of a Mathematics Teacher in the Role of a Subject Leader Cláudia Canha Nunes Introduction Teachers nowadays work in a world marked by economical, political, and organizational changes. The nature and context of curriculum, teachers’ roles, and in-service teachers’ training needs are also confronting changes. This educational change requires simultaneous and articulated action among teachers’ professional development, curriculum development practices , professional school culture, organization, and leadership processes (Hargreaves, 1998). This chapter focuses on the professional development of one mathematics teacher, surprised by her recent election as “subject leader,” as she engaged in this new role along the span of a year. Specifically, the chapter focuses on how this teacher dealt with this new challenge and the difficulties she faced while carrying out her new task, in the context of a school project developed by the mathematics teachers’ group, which decided to undertake collaboratively their curriculum design and practice. Collaboration and Leadership in a School Context Collaboration is a favourable context in which to reinforce trust, which is necessary for innovation, as well as to improve effectiveness, reduce overload , situate certainty, and offer opportunities to learn (Boavida & Ponte, A Mathematics Teacher in the Role of a Subject Leader || 53 2002; Hargreaves, 1998). Furthermore, reflection and collaboration promote learning (Hargreaves, 1998; Schön, 1993). Sharing experiences, undertaking analyses, and reflecting on practices can promote teachers’ professional development and thus the development of a new professional school culture (Nunes & Ponte, 2008). During collaborative work, teachers are not alone in dealing with an issue; they work with other teachers who face the same problem. This collaboration creates an empathy that provides energy to overcome frustration , isolation, and the feeling of not being able to deal with the issue. In collaboration, it is possible to build a strategic action in which everyone has a role or responsibility and works toward the same goals. The structure of collaborative work is demanding since all actors are necessary. The work does not demand complex logistics but requires real experience, devotion, and sharing concerns, knowledge, and expectations. This sharing work enables teachers to come up with better strategies to overcome difficulties and problems and creates a feeling of trust that transforms a problem into an added value (Boavida & Ponte, 2002; Hargreaves, 1998). According to Boutinet (1990, p. 195), the methodology of projects came as “a possible answer to the challenges put on the educational system.” If we assume that all projects are built on personal interests and expectations, on former experiences of the team members, then any project is unique because it comes from the participants’ concerns about a particular situation developed in given space and time, within a social context. We also have to consider the complexity of the situations and the uncertainty that motivates the elaboration of a project. During the project work—within a context of professional problem solving and training—systematic reflection and collaborative process characterize the ongoing work. One essential element of collaboration is leadership. Leadership requires listening to colleagues describe experiments and preserving professional relations . These elements can occur in a more formal setting (e.g., group working sessions) or in a less formal setting, as when a colleague asks the subject leader for an opinion or advice or wants to share a personal experience, a task, or a classroom episode (Field, Holden, & Lawlor, 2003). Each individual contribution of the group members makes the collaboration stronger. According to Stewart (1997), the leadership process necessarily has to be shared and symbiotic . Effective management of interpersonal relationships requires that the subject leader know how to maintain a leadership role within the group— how to make decisions, to express himself or herself, to listen, to question and give information, to stimulate discussion, to regulate interaction, share 54 || Professional Development of Mathematics Teachers experience and knowledge, encourage and facilitate communication, create a climate of trust, and solve possible conflict (Boavida & Ponte, 2002; Field, Holden, & Lawlor, 2003; Stewart, 1997). As Sergiovanni (2004) explains, the leader is an orchestra conductor and a manager of meaning. He or she identifies what is important and gives a sense of direction or purpose through the articulation of a compelling worldview. The vision (Bryman, 1996) and leader expertise and skill, in association with personal experiences and creativity of colleagues (Field, Holden, & Lawlor, 2003), are key elements of a successful project of professional development of teachers, thus creating a new professional school culture (Sergiovanni, 2004). From this discussion...