Adult Numeracy Network - Professional Development

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Professional Development Resources

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES

Design

Sound professional development in adult education mathematics should be designed to:

begin with teachers as mathematics learners and thinkers.
be a continuing process that is connected to curriculum and assessment standards, program policy and instruction and current research.
be welcoming and accessible to all – to literacy and language teachers as well as to those who primarily teach mathematics.
be evaluated with respect to its impact on teacher behavior in relation to increased student learning.

Content

Professional development opportunities should focus on improving teachers’ abilities to:

establish a deep understanding of the mathematics of the curriculum and its principles.
understand how adults’ mathematical knowledge develops, how to recognize previous misconceptions, and how to assess and engage prior knowledge.
use a broad range of instructional strategies that utilize a variety of materials to accomplish learning goals.
understand how research can be used to improve their effectiveness as teachers.

Check out ANN's growing collection of PD Webinars. Watch them with a colleague! Watch them with a friend!

The Adult Numeracy Network hosts the annual ANN Teaching & Learning Institute at the COABE pre-conference. All of the materials and resources are gathered and shared here.

One amazing way for adult educators to improve their math and teaching is through collaboration. Teamwork makes the dream work. Check out these resources for Teachers Learning Together.

Research on Professional Development for Teachers

Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., Gardner, M. (2017). Effective Teacher Professional Development. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute.

Research tells us that effective PD for teachers: (1) is content-focused, (2) incorporates active learning, utilizing adult learning theory, (3) supports collaboration, typically in work-embedded contexts, (4) uses models and modeling of effective practice, (5) provides coaching and expert support, (6) offers opportunity for feedback and reflection, and (7) is of sustained duration.

Smith, John P., (1996). Efficacy and Teaching Mathematics by Telling: A Challenge to Reform. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Jul., 1996), pp. 387-402.