Sustaining the professional growth of mathematics teachers

Teacher professional learning is a complex activity based on the interaction of three sub-systems: the teacher, the school and the learning activity. Such learning evolves over time depending on salient outcomes and teacher value positions, and requires support that is responsive to the teacher’s growth. This phenomenon has been observed within a group of teachers tasked with implementing an innovative curriculum. The curriculum involved an unfamiliar pedagogical practice that was designed to accelerate the mathematics learning of low socio-economic status junior secondary students. Based upon the observations, implications are drawn for the types of support needed to enhance teachers’ capacity to engage with pedagogical and curricular changes, with the aim of sustained teacher professional growth.