Learning Together: Teachers’ Use of Common Planning Time

Catherine Brown

Indiana University

cathbrow@indiana.edu

Fran Arbaugh

Indiana University

earbaugh@indiana.edu

Angela Allen

Indiana University

afallen@indiana.edu

Yusuf Koc

Indiana University

ykoc@indiana.edu

This study was designed to investigate the ways a group of middle school mathematics teachers made use of time scheduled each week for common planning meetings. The teachers who engaged in these meetings were participants in the fourth year of a national, multiyear mathematics reform project, QUASAR (Quantitative Understanding: Amplifying Student Achievement and Reasoning). In particular, the study examined the topics and issues addressed by teachers in these meetings and, the amount of time spent on each, and the ways topics and issues were addressed. In this report we focus on the way time was used to address issues related to mathematics content. We identified three categories of interest. “Scope and Sequence” refers to the time teachers spent discussing mathematics topics taught and the order in which they are taught. “Talking about Tasks” refers to the time teachers spent discussing specific tasks or activities that were or would be used in instruction. “Working through Tasks” refers to the time teachers spent actually working through a task as a student would.

In the 15 common planning time sessions on which we have data, about 13% of the lines of transcript were coded “Scope and Sequence”, with equal time spent talking about the past and looking to the future. Approximately 80% of the lines of transcript were coded as “Talking about Tasks.” The majority of this time was spent describing and reflecting on mathematical tasks teachers had already used in class, often focusing on problems that students had with the tasks. Only three instances of “Working through Tasks” were found. This constituted a little over 5% of the lines of transcript. In both instances, a mathematics educator who frequently met with the teachers initiated and led the work, involving the teachers in topics with which students struggle.