• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.439-464
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• 2020

This study conducted a systematic review of mathematics teacher learning communities, especially the characteristics of teacher collaboration in community activities. Our review includes 14 research papers published in national academic journals indexed in KCI and 24 research papers in international academic journals indexed in SSCI from 2003 to 2019. Results show that the literature varied in research design, research topics, and patterns relating to teacher collaboration. While both international and national papers report teacher community activities concerning the organization, management, and participation, there were different levels of involvement, visions, and activities across the communities of practice. For example, research in national journals has presented teacher community as professional development while papers in international journals have focused on documenting teacher community becoming a reflective community of practice. This study contributes to understanding the interplay of context, conflicting epistemic culture, and professional agency in fostering collaboration in teacher communities. This paper also discusses relevant research methods to investigate mathematics teacher communities and insights into the policy and practice of mathematics teacher education.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-26
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• 2024

As the limitations of professional development programs and individual attempts to improve teaching expertise have been reported, mathematics teachers have operated various types of teacher learning communities as alternative teacher professional programs. A teacher learning community can be considered a Community of Practice(CoP) in that it satisfies three factors of Cop, which are common purpose, mutual participation, and shared repertoire, so the 'learning' of a teacher community can be interpreted based on the theory of CoP. The purpose of this study is to investigate the process of identity development of five mathematics teachers who have been continuously involved in teacher communities. For this, the researcher collected data on the entire process of community activities through participant observation and conducted individual follow-up interviews to explore mathematics teachers' narratives and personal experiences. Results indicated that mathematics teachers experienced the development of practical knowledge related to mathematics teaching and learning, improvement of teaching practice through continuous reflection and introspection, and recognization the shared value of togethering through community immersion. Based on these experiences, implications for the effective operation of learning communities such as national support of teacher learning communities and horizontal and cooperative teacher norms were discussed, and follow-up research was proposed.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.857-880
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• 2016

The development of teacher's professionalism through teacher education is a key element in the improvement of school education. However, there has been criticism that the mathematics teacher education in Korea do not provide given enough opportunities for the classroom experience during preservice teacher education period. For development of inservice mathematics teachers and preservice teachers' teaching professionalism, this study develops a research community for mathematics classroom consisting of experts, inservice mathematics teachers, and preservice teachers. And the study explores the possibilities of the model as an educational space for inservice teachers and preservice teachers by participating in a series of courses such as task development and revision, and observation and analysis of classes. As results, inservice teachers and preservice teachers were able to enhance the practical experience and understanding necessary for the class, and they were also positively influenced in teacher efficacy and view of teaching on the model. Based on this, we suggest the possibility of the model as a teacher education system.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.29-40
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to explore how a high school science teacher (Teacher E) shifted her understanding and facilitation of scientific modeling through participation in a professional learning community (PLC) for over a year. Based on socially situated theory of learning, I focused on examining Teacher E's frames about scientific modeling from her social interactions. Teacher E participated in her school-based PLC over a year and collaborated with other science teachers, coaches, and researchers to improve science instruction. I qualitatively explored her participation in 6 full-day professional learning opportunities-studios-where the PLC members collectively planned, implemented, and debriefed modeling-based lessons. Especially, I focused on two Studios (Studio 2, 6) where Teacher E became the host teacher and implemented the lessons. I also examined her classroom teaching in those Studios. To understand how the PLC inquiry affected the shifts observed in Teacher E's understanding and practice, I explored how the inquiry evolved over the 6 Studios. Findings suggest that in Studio 2, Teacher E viewed students' role in scientific modeling as to fill out the worksheet with "correct" answers. Meanwhile, in Studio 6, she focused on helping students collaborate to construct explanatory models of phenomena using evidence. The PLC inquiry, focused on supporting students' construction of evidence-based explanations and collaboration in scientific modeling, seemed to promote the shifts observed in Teacher E's understanding and facilitation of scientific modeling. These findings can inform educational researchers and practitioners who aim to promote teachers' professional learning to support students' epistemic practices.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.139-155
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• 2015

This study aimed to investigate teacher learning in the context of a community. For the purpose of this study, two research questions about the kinds of teacher noticing in a community and the role of partnership were addressed. To build a learning community, a professional development project, PRIME, established partnerships with 11 high schools and one of the cluster meetings were investigated in this study. Three mentor teachers, three preservice teachers, and one university supervisor participated in the cluster meeting. For this study, the multiple data such as audio tapes of cluster meetings, observation notes, and interviews were analyzed using the analysis of narratives. The results showed that the participants engaged in different kinds of noticing of their own beliefs about teaching and learning, teacher practices, and teacher identities including noticing of students' understanding in classroom situations. The partnership played the crucial role of reinforcing relationships among teachers, assigning tasks, and creating various communities.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.279-306
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• 2022

The purpose of this case study is to get an implication on elementary pre-service teacher education programs by exploring how a pre-service teacher's noticing changes within a learning community. The pre-service teacher participated in a learning community with researchers. Data includes recordings and transcription of actual class and pre- and post discussion in the learning community, the pre-service teacher's reflection essays, field notes, and students' worksheets. Results are as follows. First, the pre-service teacher's attending moved from the result of tasks to students' mathematical thinking. Second, the pre-service teacher's interpretation changed from a lack of diversity and specificity of evidence to diversity and specificity. Third, the pre-service teacher's decision-makings changed from unproductive deciding to productive deciding.

• School Mathematics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.105-126
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• 2016

Math classes has been regarded as an independent area of a teacher and his/her students of a particular class. In Recent discussions about the professional development of teachers, for the improvement of practices, the point of view of that the community of teachers must work together is spreading. What are the considerations in organization and operation of learning communities for professional development of teachers? In this study, we analyzed the case of the learning community of math teachers in a Science Academy for the purpose of improving math classes to promote the participation of learners. Research results show that teachers share the principles and goals of mathematics teaching through the learning community. Also, through participation in learning communities, the members were practicing the lessons improved by reflection on the lessons of his/her and their colleagues. These results provide implication that it is important to provide opportunities for objectifying his/her classes through the learning community for a substantial improvement in math classes.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.297-310
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• 2021

This study explores the characteristics of within-school and across-school science teacher professional learning communities (hereafter, PLC) qualitatively. In-depth focus group interviews were conducted with science teachers belonging to seven PLCs within the science core school and three PLCs across schools. Interview questions include identity and motivation, major activities, and outcomes of PLC, as well as shortcomings and support plans for PLC. The results include both within-school and across-school science teacher PLCs formed for professional development related to science teaching and learning. Both science PLCs participated in the study showed the characteristics of a 'practice community' that developed a cooperative relationship through reciprocal participation, focusing on shared issues among members. Regarding issues, within-school PLCs focused on microscopic problems such as curriculum reconstruction of subject-matter, while across-school PLCs focused on macro problems such as teacher professional development. Regarding activities and roles as PLC, within-school and across-school science PLCs shared such features as collaborative professional development, and interpersonal education such as mentoring for novice teachers. In terms of PLC's influence and outcomes, science teacher PLCs has a positive effect not only on the teachers themselves, but also on the students and the teacher culture in the school. In addition, science teacher PLCs need improvement of the physical conditions for community operation, and software support such as protocol provision for PLC operation and joint research or re-education with universities. In particular, joint research between universities and science teacher PLCs shows the future orientation of the PLC as an 'inquiry community'. Based on the results, the necessity of active support for science PLC, the necessity of developing a cooperative system between science teacher PLC and universities, and ways to spread the PLC of science core schools to that of general schools were proposed.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.185-200
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• 2024

This study explored the changes in the elementary science teaching expertise of teachers who participated in an in-school professional learning community for elementary science instructional research. Six elementary school teachers from grades 4, 5, and 6 at an 18-class S elementary school in a medium-sized city in Chungcheongbuk-do conducted collaborative instructional research on elementary science lessons as part of an in-school professional learning community, which was held 26 times over 7 months in 2020. During the professional learning community, video and audio recordings of the activities, research lessons, course materials, and professional learning community reflection activities were collected for analysis. The collected data were analyzed using qualitative research methods; data processing, reading, note-taking, description, classification, interpretation, reporting, and visualization; and the instructional professionalism elements were extracted based on the instructional professionalism framework. In the early professional learning community activity stages, the participating teachers first discussed their teaching perspectives, their experiences, and their goals for teaching science, which resulted in a selection of research questions. The teachers then collaboratively designed and implemented research lessons for each grade level, after which lesson reflections were conducted. The teachers' abilities to engage in qualitative reflection on the research questions improved after each reflection iteration. It was found that this professional learning community collaborative lesson study experience positively contributed to teaching expertise development. Based on the study findings, the implications for using professional learning communities to improve elementary teachers' science teaching expertise are given.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.47-61
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to suggest a professional development system for elementary teachers who wish enhance mathematical teaching. The learning community on elementary mathematical teaching was composed of fourth grade teachers in a elementary school and an expert from education university. The activities was processed as establishing of objectives and contents of the learning community, discussing and seeing good lesson video, planning the lesson in collaboration with members, practicing the lesson, and reflecting on activities. To analyze these activities, record materials of meetings, lesson videos, member's writing were used. The results reported that the learning community lead teachers to search the method of professional development and showed itself as the effective media to enhance elementary mathematical teaching professionalism.