Abstract
This theoretical paper examines a process for researchers and teachers to exchange knowledge. We use the concepts of communities of practice, boundary encounters, and boundary objects to conceptualize this process within mathematics professional development (MPD). We also use the ideas from design research to discuss how mathematics professional development researchers can make professional development the focus of their research. In particular, we examine the question: How can MPD be conceptualized and designed around research-based knowledge in ways that promote knowledge exchange about students’ mathematics and mathematics learning among researchers and teachers to improve the practices of both the research and the teaching communities? We propose that MPD is a premier space for researchers and teachers to exchange knowledge from their communities, impacting both researchers’ and teachers’ practices without reducing the importance of either.
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This report is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number DRL-1008364. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Sztajn, P., Wilson, P.H., Edgington, C. et al. Mathematics professional development as design for boundary encounters. ZDM Mathematics Education 46, 201–212 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-013-0560-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-013-0560-0