Working with Novice Teachers: Challenges for Professional Development

This study examined the classroom practice and beliefs of two novice teachers, Anne and Rachel, during their first year of teaching and during the first year of their involvement in Project PRIME, a district-wide professional development project. The research also analysed the challenges faced by the novice teachers and the professional developer who worked with them. Using accounts of practice (Simon & Tzur, 1999), the professional developer interviewed and observed the two novice teachers throughout the school year and established a hypothetical learning trajectory to inform their professional development program. By the end of the first year, neither teacher’s classroom practice reflected the reform goals of PRIME in relation to implementing worthwhile mathematical tasks, questioning or promoting students’ thinking. However, their practice was observably different and so were their beliefs about teaching. Anne’s practice was consistent with the literature’s characterization of a novice teacher while Rachel’s practice was more aligned with that of a veteran teacher. In spite of the fact that the professional developer used different kinds of coaching, collaborative teaching and feedback sessions, the professional development experience was problematic for different reasons, some of which were related to the different perspectives of the two novice teachers.