Page 122 - Innovative Professional Development Methods and Strategies for STEM Education

The Role of Teacher Leadership for Promoting Professional Development Practices

Participants were also asked to provide a specific example of how MBAMP supported their work in
the school or classroom. Participant responses reflect not only how specific professional development
shaped their practice but also how the opportunity to partake in a leadership role influenced their profes-
sional growth and school community, one participant shared:

MBAMP provided needed support and structure for organizing professional development at our school
site throughout the year, from the Winter Colloquium to the Summer Institute. Those opportunities al-
lowed us to not only develop our leadership as math training facilitators, but also as offered a regular
forum for deeper and informed professional collegial conversations about math practice. From there we
have been able to carry the message to others and share resources at our individual schools.

Several other participants also shared how their involvement in the organization continued to further
their professional growth as an educator. One participant shared “MBAMP has supported me by offer-
ing resources such as model lessons from other teachers and the opportunity to borrow materials and
books to try in my class” and “As a science lecturer and student teacher supervisor, I am constantly using
MBAMP material with my students.”

Leading Teacher Leaders

Participants were asked “what qualities do you find important in working with the director of the MB-
AMP organization” and “share what the director does well and can improve”. Several themes emerged
in the participant responses as valuable qualities of a director. Flexibility emerged as a strong theme in
participants’ responses. Participants stated the director was flexible and would provide time for the lead-
ers to develop and grow into teacher leaders. “Judith’s flexibility, creativity and enthusiastic response to
meeting teacher training needs provides a needed contrast to more traditionally structured professional
development. That flexibility encourages others to take leadership.” Figure 2 shows the most reported
comments regarding qualities of a director. The qualities were organized into four categories: manage-
ment style, personal qualities, vision and technical knowledge.
For Technical knowledge and personal qualities one participant shared:

The director of MBAMP does a really good job of bringing people together. Everyone loves the leader-
ship dinner we have at the beginning of the school year where we discuss plans for the year and share
a good meal. I also think she stays on top of current information in the field of mathematics education,
and shares these resources with all of the leaders. She also makes it clear how much she appreciates
the team and our input.

DISCUSSION

The results of this study found all of the participants reported at least 30 hours of work with MBAMP. This
finding is significant as Hammond and colleagues found at least 30 hours of professional development a
year leads to significant impact in student achievement (2009). More than 60% of participants indicated
they spent more than 50 hours a year engaged in professional development. Hammond and colleagues
found participants who engage in at least 49 hours in one-year student achievement by approximately

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