Establishing a professional development network around dynamic mathematics software in England

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Description/Abstract

In this paper, we outline some results of a project funded by NCETM (the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics) that aimed to establish a professional development network in England around an open-source mathematical software - GeoGebra. During the past few years a large international user and developer community has formed around various GeoGebra-related activities. Most teachers who are currently using GeoGebra have not received professional training in the implementation of the software in their teaching practices, but have begun using it due to their own enthusiasm or through encouragement by their colleagues. However, research suggests that, for the majority of teachers, solely providing technology is insufficient for the successful integration of technology into their teaching. It has been suggested that adequate training and collegial support can boost teachers' willingness to integrate technology into their teaching and to develop successful technology-assisted teaching practices. Thus, in our project, involving nine experienced teachers in England, we developed suitable priorities for professional development, including designing a range of supporting materials for use by teachers more widely