THE TEACHER ACTION Q-SORT: A CARD-SORTING TOOL FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Reflection is an essential component of classroom teaching that successful mathematics teachers perform routinely and it is one of the imperatives that the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics has identified as being integral to the provision of effective instruction that maximizes learning for all students Reflecting on one’s mathematics teaching promotes self-awareness and facilitates the implementation of the desired teaching practices In this article, we report on the use of a Q-sort to promote teachers’ reflection on their teaching as the latter relates specifically to their enactment of teacher actions associated with high-quality teaching practices We share teachers’ reflections on their use of the Teacher Action Q-sort and their views regarding the benefits of using a Q-sort We also address mathematics coaches’ insights on how a Q-sort can be used as a needs assessment and as a professional learning experience for teachers who want to conduct a self-appraisal of the degree to which they implement high-quality classroom teaching practices that provide all students with meaningful mathematics instruction.