Using Design Experiments to Conduct Research on Mathematics Professional Development

In this paper, we propose that the emerging transformation of mathematics professional development from a practice-based to a research field would benefit from stronger connections to research on learning. In particular, we contend that design experiments represent a premier emerging methodology to study learning, and we argue that a better understanding of teacher learning through the use of design experiments in mathematics professional development can lead to improvement of mathematics professional development as both an area of practice and a field of research.