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A Modelling Perspective in Designing Teacher Professional Learning Communities

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Mathematical Modelling and Applications

Abstract

The chapter addresses a professional learning community development approach, namely, a multi-tiered research design which involves a modelling approach to learning. The chapter describes how a models and modelling perspective was employed in developing a teacher learning community and how it was used to better understand, analyse, and support the nature and development of teacher knowledge. Results have revealed that teachers improved their knowledge and pedagogical approaches to modelling. Changes in their attitudes, self-confidence, and motivation, and in their collaboration with other teachers, were also evident. We conclude that such an approach, although very demanding both in skills and competences, might serve in establishing and supporting a teacher learning community.

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Acknowledgements

This chapter is based on the work within the project MASCIL – Mathematics and Science for Life (www.mascil-project.eu). MASCIL has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no. 320693. This chapter reflects only the authors’ views, and the European Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.

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Correspondence to Nicholas Mousoulides .

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Mousoulides, N., Nicolaidou, M., Evagorou, M. (2017). A Modelling Perspective in Designing Teacher Professional Learning Communities. In: Stillman, G., Blum, W., Kaiser, G. (eds) Mathematical Modelling and Applications. International Perspectives on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematical Modelling. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62968-1_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62968-1_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62967-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62968-1

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