Collaboration in Teacher Education

Collaboration in Teacher Education

MATHEMATICS TEACHER EDUCATION VOLUME 1 SERIES EDITOR Andrea Peter-Koop, University of Oldenburg, Germany EDITORIAL BOARD Andy Begg, Open University, UK/University ofwaikato, New Zealand Chris Breen, University of Cape Town, South Africa Milan Hejny, Charles University, Czech Republic Francis Lopez-Real, University of Hong Kong, China Jeppe Skott, Danish University of Education, Copenhagen, Denmark Peter Sullivan, La Trobe University, Bendigo, Australia Dina Tirosh, Tel Aviv University, Israel Pat Wilson, University of Georgia, USA SCOPE The Mathematics Teacher Education book series presents relevant research and innovative international developments with respect to the preparation and professional development of mathematics teachers. A better understanding of teachers' cognitions as well as knowledge about effective models for preservice and inservice teacher education is fundamental for mathematics education at the primary, secondary and tertiary level in the various contexts and cultures across the world. Therefore, considerable research is needed to understand what facilitates and impedes mathematics teachers' professional learning. The series aims to provide a significant resource for teachers, teacher educators and graduate students by introducing and critically reflecting new ideas, concepts and findings of research in teacher education.

Collaboration in Teacher Education Examples from the Context of Mathematics Education Edited by Andrea Peter-Koop Department of Mathematics, University of Oldenburg, Germany Vania Santos-Wagner Institute of Mathematics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Chris Breen Department of Education, University of Cape Town, South Africa and Andy Begg Centre for Mathematics Education, The Open University, United Kingdom SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.

A c.i.p. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-90-481-6327-4 DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-1072-5 ISBN 978-94-017-1072-5 (ebook) Printed on acid-free paper All Rights Reserved 2003 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2003 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 2003 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword Helen Christiansen, Caroline Krentz and Linda Goulet Vll PROLOGUE PART ONE: INVESTIGATING INITIAL AND ONGOING TEACHER EDUCATION 5 A Journey towards Collaboration Sue Southwood and Jaap Kuiper 2 Collaboration and Sharing as Crucial Elements of Professional Development Steven Nisbet, Elizabeth Warren and Tom Cooper 3 The Evolution of an Interdisciplinary Collaborative for Pre-Service Teacher Reform-Research Informs Practice Marilyn Carlson, Michelle Zandieh, Irene Bloom and Daiyo Sawada 4 An Approach to Collaboration in Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Education Victoria Sanchez 7 23 41 57 PART TWO: FURTHER ISSUES IN TEACHER EDUCATION 69 5 Classroom Coaching as a Collaborative Activity in Professional Development Joanne Rossi Becker and Barbara J Pence 6 A Collaborative Project Using Narratives-What Happens when Pupils Work on Mathematical Investigations? Joao Pedro da Ponte, Maria Irene Segurado and Hilia Oliveira 7 The Role of Collaboration for Developing Teacher-Researchers Vania Santos-Wagner 8 Sharing Teacher Training Methods-The Case of Problematic Learning Situations in Geometry Hagar Gal, Liora Linchevski and Anne Cockburn 71 85 99 113 v

vi PART THREE: WORKING WITH OTHER IMPORTANT PARTNERS IN DIFFERENT SOCIO-CUL TURAL CONTEXTS l33 9 Co-Learning in the Collaborative Mathematics Classroom 135 Julie-Ann Edwards and Keith Jones 10 Collaborative Practice with Parents-The Role of the Researcher as 153 Mediator Marta Civil and Rosi Andrade 11 The Role of the Principal in Mathematics Teacher Development- 169 Bridging the Dichotomy between Leadership and Collaboration Konrad Krainer and Andrea Peter-Koop 12 Intercultural Collaboration: A Celebration of Commonalties and 191 Differences Bridget Arvold PART FOUR: ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON COLLABORATION 211 13 A Case for Collaborative Staff Development-A Path Layered while 213 Walking Chris Breen, Gabeba Agherdien and Agatha Lebethe 14 Collaborative Reflection through Sharing Significant Incidents 235 Francis Lopez-Real 15 More than Collaboration: Concern, Connection, Community and 253 Curriculum Andy Begg EPILOGUE 269 INDEX 273

FOREWORD Conferences often provide opportunities for discussions with new and like-minded colleagues. This was the case for us in Athens, Georgia in the United States of America, where we met one of the editors' of this book, Andrea Peter-Koop. The occasion was a joint session in which all of us presented our ongoing work about collaboration. The three of us had analysed our experiences of collaboration as process, and had come from Canada to present a model of the collaborative process that had emerged from that analysis. Andrea had come from Germany to talk about collaborative work in mathematics education. And so, it was in the U.S.A. that Andrea told us about a plan for a book on collaboration in mathematics education that would bring together authors from many different countries. It was exciting to meet someone who, like us, believed it was important to share stories of the power of collaboration to change educational practice. Our global conversation had begun. Now we re-enter the conversation as we read the completed book Collaboration in Teacher Education-Examples from the Context of Mathematics Education. The authors of this book examine experiences of collaboration within a specific discipline-the teaching of mathematics. Stories about collaborative projects between teachers and researchers, between teachers and their pupils, between teacher educators and their students, between teacher educators in different countries, or across the disciplines of mathematics and science, demonstrate the link between collaboration and change in every configuration. Indeed, a major contribution of this book lies in these stories of collaboration as lived. Stories of successful, and even less successful, collaborative efforts have to be told. Such stories encourage educators everywhere to imagine possibilities and reflect on their own practice. What is particularly exciting about this book is its international aspect, its exploration of cross-cultural as well as intercultural collaboration by chapter authors in twelve countries on six continents. These are stories of community building of every kind--of communities within communities, of communities reaching out to other communities, of communities reaching out to one another within the collaborative process of the book project itself. Usually, cross-cultural differences are seen to pose a challenge in collaborative endeavours. This was not the case for many of the chapter contributors who explore and celebrate cultural differences, especially with regard to the opportunities for professional development such differences can provide. Whatever the cultural context, however, all participants in a collaborative project must deal with issues of power. In each of the stories told in this book, shared power was essential to the continuation of the project. This book reinforces and expands our thinking about collaboration. We found collaboration to be challenging because the human element of social interaction is a major part of every collaborative project. Conflict, then, is to be expected. Collaborative partners do not try to avoid critique and conflict, but rather deal with A. Peter-Koop et al. (eds.). Collaboration in Teacher Education, vii-ix. 2003 KlulVer Academic Publishers. Vll

viii FOREWORD both in ways that are respectful and constructive. Collaborative partners identify strengths in one another's ideas and actions, and build upon them. Participants in a collaborative endeavour may find themselves spending a lot of time establishing, reaffirming, and maintaining relationships. Is this because collaboration is essentially about relationships-about finding a common ground in order to have support in the risks of change and the creation of new forms of practice? Sometimes collaborative projects begin with conferences or workshops; sometimes they evolve from co-operative projects in which people are already working together towards a common goal. In the end, it is the sense of shared support in achieving a common purpose that serves to keep collaborative partners focused. On the other hand, although initially there may be a shared focus, the goals of a collaborative project evolve and can even change. In the beginning, participants know, or at least think they know, what they are hoping to achieve. The direction a project takes depends on what evolves through the collaborative process. Sometimes there are surprises with regard to outcomes, particularly when participants develop new forms of collaboration in order to continue the process. The products or outcomes of collaboration emerge as the process unfolds. Some collaborative projects continue well beyond the original intentions of the participants. Some collaborative partners stay together for many years, even though the initial project that brought them together in the first place has come to an end. Other collaborative partners may move on to different projects with new partners. Whatever the case, the collaborative process, which is so vital to community building and educational reform, continues because people who have been involved in collaborative projects have been transformed and energised. Such individuals carry this transformation into new ventures, seeking out new ways of working together with others. Collaboration in education, however, is more than process. People who have been involved in collaborative projects work towards change in their practice, and towards educational reform in a broader sense. In order to achieve these goals, all of the stakeholders in a project have to feel a sense of ownership at some stage of the process. Collaborative partners need to support and encourage one another throughout. The stories in this book testify to the need to build nurturing communities so that lasting change can occur. Many chapter contributors write about ongoing workshops or meetings that contributed to the successful outcome of their collaborative projects. Successful collaboration results from mutual support and co-operative planning. In the epilogue to our edited book, Recreating Relationships: Collaboration and Educational Reform, we wrote "Our dialogue has begun. We invite the educational community to join with us in the continuing inquiry about collaboration in educational change" (1997, 292). With the publication of this book on collaboration in mathematics education we meet educators who have done just that. In a way, collaboration is like teaching in that one can never really know what impact one will have on others. Well... almost never. In this case, our earlier work has come back to us-transformed and expanded upon. We were honoured to read that the editors and chapter contributors were able to build upon our ideas. We contributed to their

FOREWORD IX thinking; with this book, they, in tum, have contributed to ours. We thank the editors for inviting us to join their global conversation. The circle is bigger now. REFERENCES Christiansen, H., Goulet, L., Krentz, C. & Maeers, M. (Eds.) (1997). Recreating relationships: Collaboration and educational reform. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Helen Christiansen and Caroline Krentz, Faculty of Education, University of Regina, Canada Linda Goulet, Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, Regina, Canada