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Elementary Mathematics Specialists (EMSs) recognize that impactful professional learning is often collaborative. They use skills and strategies to work with a variety of adult learners and to achieve multiple goals. They implement techniques, such as the establishment of community agreements and use of protocols, to support groups in reaching agreement to the degree possible, while honoring diverse points of view. EMSs adapt their facilitation based on the size of the group, the familiarity the group members have with one another, and the length of time working with the group. They use effective listening and communicating strategies to develop and navigate relationships as they support groups in accomplishing tasks. They understand the culture and backgrounds of group members and encourage and value all perspectives and contributions.
L.4.a. Using knowledge of adult learners and learning to design professional learning
L.4.b. Cultivating relationships and sustaining collaboration with families and community members
L.4.a. Using knowledge of adult learners and learning to design professional learning
EMSs understand the principles of adult learning and know how to develop a collaborative culture of collective responsibility as they work within grade level, school, or district settings. They use this knowledge to promote a professional learning (PL) environment of collegiality, trust, openness, and respect that centers on continuous improvement in instruction and student learning. EMSs also recognize PL must actively engage educators while giving them choice and voice in the learning they will pursue (112).
Due to their proximity with teachers and situated understandings, EMSs are well-positioned to offer school- or district- level mathematics PL opportunities, such as those focused on deepening understanding of (1) mathematics content such as operations with whole numbers and fractions; (2) mathematics practices and processes such as translation between contexts and more abstract representations; (3) responsive pedagogy such as supporting language development for multilingual learners or planning for students with identified learning needs in mathematics. EMSs work alongside teachers and have deep knowledge of teachers and their contexts. They are responsive to teachers’ needs and facilitate meaningful PL, and engage adult learners in critical conversations to help improve the mathematics learning experiences of each and every student. Just as they would for students, EMSs recognize, highlight, and utilize teachers’ strengths and cultivate teacher leadership.
Vignette L.4.a.
Shifting the Culture for Mathematics Professional Learning
EMS as School-Level Mathematics Leader: As a new EMS at my elementary school, I was warned by the administrative team that the teachers rarely actively participated in professional learning (PL) sessions and typically preferred to work alone. I always like a good challenge, so I consulted with my district’s mathematics coordinator for suggestions. The first few weeks of school, I used my planning period to get to know each teacher by visiting their classrooms, working with students, and providing them with an interest survey to find out their needs, preferences, and areas of concern. I also provided my colleagues with a menu of possible offerings to identify the topics and types of PL activities that would be of interest to them. To honor their voices, I used the information gathered to plan upcoming PL sessions. I was able to: (1) provide teachers with choices of PL sessions they could attend based on their needs and interests; and (2) offer a variety of formats such as morning Coffee Chats, Pizza Thursdays, and Lunch & Learn sessions to accommodate their varied schedules. I was intentional about including opportunities for active learning and collaboration in every session. These efforts helped me to not only learn about teacher learning needs but also allowed me to identify teacher leaders and early adopters of the approaches learned. I worked with these emerging leaders to create a mathematics committee consisting of a teacher from each grade level. This committee met on a regular basis to plan school-wide initiatives like Mathematics/STEM night, plan PL sessions, select professional books for our faculty book study, and advocate for standards-aligned mathematics at our school.
Relevant Indicators: L.3.b., L.4.a.
L.4.b. Cultivating relationships and sustaining collaboration with families and community members
EMSs understand that the cultures and backgrounds of families and communities play a significant role in cultivating and improving students’ mathematics dispositions, learning experiences, and outcomes. EMSs recognize the importance of working through their own biases, understanding others’ experiences and intersectional identities, and using their knowledge to strengthen partnerships with families and community members. They also know the importance of reciprocal family-community-school partnerships and the need to create a shared vision of and responsibility for deep, meaningful, relevant mathematics learning for all students (113). Finally, EMSs work with colleagues to promote ongoing systematic communication and collaboration with families, community members, business and community leaders, and others to improve the educational system and expand opportunities for students.
Vignette L.4.b.
Expanding Our Approach to Collaborating with Families
EMS as Specialist Teacher of Mathematics: Each year we host Family Math Experiences for our students and their families. What was once called Family Math Nights, became Family Math Experiences when we recognized we could reach more families if we offer both the option of an evening event as well as an event just after drop off in the morning. While these events are well attended and successful, many families want to know what they can do to help their children with mathematics on a regular basis. Our current curriculum has weekly newsletters, available in English and Spanish, to describe the topics for the week and provide tips for completing homework. We receive mixed reviews from families about their use of the newsletters at home. The mathematics specialist teachers for each grade level met, and we decided to create short videos each week called Math in a Minute. The Math in a Minute videos provide families with a quick overview of the mathematics concepts being covered in class that week by grade level, along with visual representations of the concepts or strategies. These quick snapshots of mathematics concepts have been a big hit with families. We use multiple ways to disseminate the videos (e.g., Class Dojo, QR codes, email, texts), so we are reaching a larger percentage of our families. Next year we hope to make both English and Spanish versions of the videos available to families.
Relevant Indicators: C.math storylines., P.3.b., L.4.b.
(112) Horn & Garner, 2022; Kazemi & Hubbard, 2008.(113) Safir & Dugan, 2021.
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