Abstract:

Mathematics professional learning (PL) has become a global concern, rooted in the belief that the most effective way to improve student mathematics learning outcomes is to focus on the teacher. From high-stakes urban districts to more isolated rural districts across the United States, substantial investments are made under the premise that refining instructional practice directly translates into enhanced learner success. However, the prevalence of these programs masks the complex challenge of determining which program has the best potential for long-term, sustained learning. There remains a lack of coherence regarding which PL and which design best fosters the deep, sustainable changes required to move the needle on student mathematics learning. This study is guided by the question: What are teachers’ perceptions and evidence of their long-term learning from mathematics PL?

Drawing on theories of transfer, this paper contends that PL should be understood as more than a simple transfer of skills. Instead, we frame it as a "consequential transition" requiring teachers to actively reconstruct their professional identities and knowledge as they move from the PL environment to the classroom. Using a qualitative approach, we analyzed long-term uptake across six distinct math PL programs. These programs share foundational design features but vary significantly in goals, organizational structure, and technology use.

From an initial sample of 200 participants, we selected 36 case study teachers (six per program) to represent a diverse range of engagement levels, including high, mid, and low uptake. Data collection involved two one-hour interviews per teacher and two self-selected classroom video recordings that participants believed provided evidence of their integrated learning. Following a detailed coding process, several salient themes emerged regarding the relationship between PL design and the nature of teacher learning.

The findings reveal four core design features that support consequential transitions. When shifts in teaching were observed, they aligned across the diverse range of PLs studied. First, high-uptake teachers reported that learning was most transformative when anchored in relevant problems of practice, allowing them to reconstruct their professional identities by investigating real instructional dilemmas. Second, the primary object of reflection shifted from a focus superficial teacher moves toward the nuances of students’ mathematical reasoning. This was supported by the third finding: the essential role of shared frameworks and common language, such as learning trajectories, observation rubrics, or geographical trackers,which all provided the precision necessary to deepen professional noticing. Finally, sustainable change was fostered through specified collaborative activities, such as co-creating lessons or engaging in shared mathematics tasks, which moved beyond mere proximity to build a genuine community of practice. Collectively, these results suggest that for PL to transcend the "workshop" model to sustained learning, it should provide teachers with the tools to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and the lived complexities of the mathematics classroom.

Keywords:

Professional development, inservice teacher training, professional learning, teacher learning.