Write the importance of any three resources which help mathematics teacher for professional development
Answers
Answer:
RESOURCE 1: CONTENT FOCUSED COACHING
Ms. West has co-authored two books on coaching math teachers, both of which I own. Agents of Change: How Content Coaching Transforms Teaching and Learning (2013) is an extension of her book Content-Focused Coaching: Transforming Mathematics Lessons (2003). These books are replete with suggestions and techniques for, and the pitfalls of, content coaching for math teachers. Both books give access to video clips of examples of coaching sessions. The 2003 book came with a DVD, but the 2013 book give an access code to view the videos online. More importantly, these videos highlight the role of the coach as an agent of change for the mathematics teaching community.
By asking the question, “What mathematics should student learn from this lesson?” and “What evidence is there that all students learned what you intended?”, West sets the expectation that student learning is the goal of the coaching relationship. When teachers, coaches, and administrators engage each other in this learning stance, they model for their students the learning process. When teachers see the classroom as an opportunity to engage with other adults to learn about learning, then students will also be learning.
The more recent book, Agents of Change, is divided into three sections. The first section focuses on a theory of content coaching, how coaching should be part of a system of change within the school and district, and outlines the roles of coach, teacher leader, teacher, principal, and district supervisor. This is a robust theory on how to change teaching and learning in the mathematics classroom.
The second section describe the skills that coaches need—skills that teachers who become coaches often don’t have—as West points out. Coaches need to have a deep awareness of themselves so that they can help others, and they need to have great communication skills, as well as being able to develop coaching relationships with teachers whether or not they are eager to engage in the process.
The third and final section is a case study of the coaching process amplified by access to video of the actual coaching sessions. The video tracks a specific coaching situation through the preconference, lesson, and post-conference, while the book highlights the coaching moves advocated by West and her colleagues.
RESOURCE 2: ACCOUNTABLE TALK
As I alluded to in my story about Alan above, I learned about accountable talk while working with Ms. West. By helping students listen to and comment on each others’ reasoning, a very high level of math learning can take place in the classroom. When implemented with all students, it also provides evidence to the teacher about whether students understand the intended outcomes in class. Accountable talk moves help to create this high level discourse that we all aspire to with our students.
Adding Talk to the Equation: Discussion and Delivery in Mathematics (2016) is West’s most recent work. It is an investigation based on five video case studies that can serve as a jumping-off point for professional development. She has invested over twenty years in implementing accountable talk in classrooms around the country. This resource represents a culmination of her work to date with the resources so that you can implement it in your district, school, or classroom.
West’s Adding Talk to the Equation, available online for a fee, is a series of case studies showing how teachers can work to implement accountable talk in different stages of development. All of the classes show how accountable talk can be implemented in mathematics classrooms from Grades 1 to 6. The five case studies are: Introducing Basic Talk Moves, Basic Talk Moves with Young Children, Getting Reluctant Learners to Speak, Multiple Talk Moves in Action, and Well on the Way to Academic Discourse.
A printed companion guide provides the transcripts of the case studies, as well as commentary on the process by Ms. West. This is a great resource for professional development sessions at your school!
One of my previous blog posts discusses some ways I have used classroom discourse and provides you with some resources to implement accountable talk in your classroom.
RESOURCE 3: TAKING A LEARNING STANCE DOWNLOAD
Apart from coaching techniques, accountable talk moves, and a systems approach to change, the most important thing that I took away from my training with Lucy West is an approach to learning, MY learning.
If we are to make progress in helping all students reach proficiency in mathematics, then we need to lead the way in adopting a learning stance of our own. This kind of professional development culture is unfortunately rare in many schools I have seen close up.