Redefining Professional Development for Supporting Elementary Teachers Mathematics Knowledge: A Case Study Approach

This dissertation explored how a professional developer, using the Center’s Professional Development Model for Innovating Instruction, supported two teachers’ acquisition of the knowledge needed for their mathematics instruction. Through analysis of detailed field notes and semi-structured interviews of two experienced elementary school teachers working in an urban, high-need school, this dissertation studied how the design and situate components of the Center’s Professional Development Model for Innovating Instruction can lead to multiple ways of supporting teachers’ instruction depending on the teachers’ needs and interests. Findings from these two case studies suggest that there is a need for teacher education mathematics programs—In-service and pre-service—to provide teachers with the knowledge for innovative mathematics instruction needed to create demanding learning experiences in their classrooms. This dissertation elaborates on these results, discusses connections with other research, and ends with implications of these results, in terms of their immediate application and the need for future research.