The Benefits of Modesty: Considering Incremental Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers
Professional development (PD) for mathematics teachers often emphasizes transformative instructional change. However, a more modest, incremental approach may offer a higher likelihood of success in ways that complement transformational efforts. This Editorial discusses the potential advantages of in...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/4/473 |
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| author | Samuel Otten Zandra de Araujo Amber G. Candela |
| author_facet | Samuel Otten Zandra de Araujo Amber G. Candela |
| author_sort | Samuel Otten |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Professional development (PD) for mathematics teachers often emphasizes transformative instructional change. However, a more modest, incremental approach may offer a higher likelihood of success in ways that complement transformational efforts. This Editorial discusses the potential advantages of incremental PD where teachers make small but meaningful improvements to their practice over time. We explore the differences between transformational PD and incremental PD as evidenced by the articles in this Special Issue. We also distinguish between varieties of incremental PD projects, from those that focus on a small piece of a larger instructional vision (piece-and-support incremental PD), those that set out to achieve a modest goal without appeal to a broader instructional transformation (modest-goal-with-support incremental PD), to a more radically modest approach that involves offering small, optional instructional suggestions without investments of time or training (nudge-based incremental PD). Ultimately, this Editorial, and this Special Issue as a whole, advocates for new conversations and investigations into how PD is structured and how the promoted instructional changes might spread among mathematics teachers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9cd051d9aef94bf28bc50a41d2368676 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-9cd051d9aef94bf28bc50a41d23686762025-08-20T02:17:25ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022025-04-0115447310.3390/educsci15040473The Benefits of Modesty: Considering Incremental Professional Development for Mathematics TeachersSamuel Otten0Zandra de Araujo1Amber G. Candela2College of Education and Human Development, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USALastinger Center for Learning, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USACollege of Education, University of Missouri, St Louis, MO 63121, USAProfessional development (PD) for mathematics teachers often emphasizes transformative instructional change. However, a more modest, incremental approach may offer a higher likelihood of success in ways that complement transformational efforts. This Editorial discusses the potential advantages of incremental PD where teachers make small but meaningful improvements to their practice over time. We explore the differences between transformational PD and incremental PD as evidenced by the articles in this Special Issue. We also distinguish between varieties of incremental PD projects, from those that focus on a small piece of a larger instructional vision (piece-and-support incremental PD), those that set out to achieve a modest goal without appeal to a broader instructional transformation (modest-goal-with-support incremental PD), to a more radically modest approach that involves offering small, optional instructional suggestions without investments of time or training (nudge-based incremental PD). Ultimately, this Editorial, and this Special Issue as a whole, advocates for new conversations and investigations into how PD is structured and how the promoted instructional changes might spread among mathematics teachers.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/4/473professional developmentinstructional changemathematics teacher educationmathematics teaching |
| spellingShingle | Samuel Otten Zandra de Araujo Amber G. Candela The Benefits of Modesty: Considering Incremental Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers Education Sciences professional development instructional change mathematics teacher education mathematics teaching |
| title | The Benefits of Modesty: Considering Incremental Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers |
| title_full | The Benefits of Modesty: Considering Incremental Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers |
| title_fullStr | The Benefits of Modesty: Considering Incremental Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Benefits of Modesty: Considering Incremental Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers |
| title_short | The Benefits of Modesty: Considering Incremental Professional Development for Mathematics Teachers |
| title_sort | benefits of modesty considering incremental professional development for mathematics teachers |
| topic | professional development instructional change mathematics teacher education mathematics teaching |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/4/473 |
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