THE PROBLEM-SOLVING CYCLE: A Model of Mathematics Professional Development.

There is a growing consensus that mathematics teachers need to significantly expand their content and pedagogical content knowledge in order to make instructional improvements and provide increased opportunities for student learning. Long- term, sustainable professional development programs can play an important role in this regard. Our research team has spent the past several years developing a program called the Problem-Solving Cycle (PSC). This professional development model is grounded in a situative perspective on learning and draws upon theoretical and empirical evidence regarding the importance of professional learning communities and the value of using artifacts of practice to situate teachers’ learning in their classroom experience. The model takes into account the complexity of classroom teaching, the wide array of knowledge teachers need to promote the mathematical thinking of their students, and the long-term commitment required to develop such knowledge. In this article, we present the conceptual framework for the PSC, details of its enactment, and initial findings regarding its impact on teachers’ knowledge.