AN EXAMINATION OF THE NATURE OF POST-OBSERVATION FEEDBACK PROVIDED TO MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHERS

The feedback mathematics teachers receive following an administrator’s observation of instruction is a critical component of the teachers’ professional development This study examined the nature of feedback middle school mathematics teachers received from administrators who had differing formal mathematics education or experiences Data included teacher evaluations, classroom artifacts, classroom observation field notes, and interviews with teachers and administrators Within the framework of leadership content knowledge and complexity leadership theory, three major themes emerged with regard to how different mathematical backgrounds and/or evaluative roles of observers influenced their feedback These themes focused on the form of the feedback (written and oral), the process for developing feedback (inductive and deductive), and the nature of feedback (content or pedagogical focus) The findings from this study most notably pointed to the difference in the nature of feedback to middle grades mathematics teachers from observers who had formal mathematics education or experience and those who had different subject backgrounds The findings also provide evidence to support several implications for mathematics education leaders, which are discussed