Case study 5: Collaborative CPD to improve practice

last updated:February 2010

Case study 5: Collaborative CPD to improve practice
We chose this case study because it shows how CPD delivered over a period of time was used to stimulate more interactive teaching, which in turn improved student discussion and engagement in mathematics.

The project set out to make mathematics more exciting and engaging by encouraging students to adopt problem solving strategies, ask questions ad explore their understanding by working with others.

What were the key features of the CPD?
Two teachers from each of seven Cornwall schools and colleges came together in the project. The project leader, the county adviser for mathematics, made a conscious decision to avoid one-off INSET training. Instead the project was based around three half-day input sessions, once per term over an academic year.

The sessions focussed on modelling and developing teaching approaches and resources. The teachers were expected to trial, evaluate and develop the methodology collaboratively when they were back at school.

The adviser gave teachers support during school visits, contributing to joint planning and team-teaching. Additional support was available through a private online web portal to enable all the teachers to share their experiences, resources, lesson plans and evaluations. Between them the teachers developed over 50 teaching resources.

What was the impact on classroom practice?
The teachers involved developed a broad range of approaches and strategies for teaching. They developed new resources to support these, such as jigsaws, treasure hunts and card sorts. Strategies included helping students understand concepts through collaboration, investigations, questioning and engagement in discussion.

The new approaches moved the teachers away from traditional teacher-led didactic approach towards one which was student-led and emphasised active engagement. Students talked about mathematics more, explored ideas together and explained concepts and solutions to each other. Teachers became enablers and supporters of learning in the following ways:

• engaging with students in more subtle and unobtrusive ways;
• being more attentive to students’ conversations and discussions; and
• responding to students who were not following productive paths.

What was the impact on students?
Key impacts on students reported by the teachers involved included:

Deeper understanding of key concepts
Thinking strategies were improved and discussions led to links being made between topics, leading to greater understanding. One teacher commented:

You know that feeling you get when you have taught a lesson and you know that the students have walked away with a huge understanding of a topic – well that was the feeling I had in spades after the lesson... Not only did they know how to use binomial expansions, they still knew it three months later.

Greater motivation to learn and persistence, especially by weaker students
The new strategies engaged students who had previously seemed unmotivated by familiar and traditional ways of teaching.

Greater challenge provided for more able students
Greater opportunities to think for themselves led to more able students stretching themselves more.

Improved uptake of mathematics post-16
Most of the settings reported increased uptake in mathematics courses post-16 and improved retention rates from AS to A2 level.

What effect did this model of CPD have on the teachers?
Generally teachers spoke of the excitement they felt when students produced questions or solutions that they themselves had not thought of.

The teachers felt invigorated by their involvement with the project and unanimously expressed renewed enthusiasm for teaching mathematics.

Working with their colleagues gave the teachers the encouragement and confidence to develop and try out their own ideas, but it was important that they were willing to be observed teaching and open to new ideas.

Reference
Northern, L. (2008)
Enhancing the quality of learning & teaching in post-16 mathematics