Flipping Professional Learning Through Videos in Mathematics Education

Abstract

Teachers of mathematics in New Zealand are critical to the success of their students. It is important for them to have both a positive disposition towards mathematics‚ and skills and knowledge relating to mathematics and mathematics pedagogy. Yet many primary trained teachers have negative dispositions towards mathematics. Changing these attitudes, along with levels of confidence and understanding, would appear to be crucial. Professional learning is one method for achieving this outcome. Unfortunately, for teachers with low self-efficacy in mathematics, engaging in a professional learning experience relating to mathematics may be considered threatening. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the ways in which using collaboratively developed videos within a flipped professional learning programme might improve these dispositions of primary-trained teachers, along with their skills and understanding in mathematics. This study adopted an action research approach, due to the alignment of this methodology with the desire to utilise volunteer participant teachers as co-researchers and for them to reflect on and change their practice. The study found that the use of videos in a flipped professional learning experience increased the self-efficacy ratings of participants in the focus area of their intervention. Also, that it had the potential for teachers to take greater control of their learning journey, thus encouraging teacher agency. Therefore, it is the contention of the research that using videos in a flipped professional learning programme in mathematics could be beneficial to improving the teacher capacity of primary trained teachers in mathematics.