EFFECTS OF ACTION RESEARCH ON PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY FOR TEACHERS’ MPCK

Abstract

This study is an action research to investigate the effects of the professional learning community (PLC) for improving teachers’ mathematical pedagogical content knowledge (MPCK). The PLC is organized by mathematics teacher educator and primary teachers together so as to improve MPCK of primary school teachers. The team of mathematics PLC develops this platform based on the cooperation of mathematics teacher educators and primary school teachers. In terms of mathematics PLC, the mathematics teacher educators survey the need for primary school teachers and then increase their MPCK. Major activities are effective strategies for mathematics instruction, including worked examples of life mathematics, children’s schema of learning mathematics and instructional strategies for mathematics reading comprehension. An internet platform system also helps primary school teachers access the practical examples of effective mathematics instruction and share their video of mathematics instruction. Within one semester, these primary school teachers participate in two workshops and one conference. They adopt these remedial instruction strategies in the mathematics classroom, especially for those students of low mathematics achievement. They do reflections about their mathematics instruction and these primary schools reveal high improvement on MPCK. The results conclude that the action research could improve teachers’ MPCK and proficiency in mathematics instruction. All the teachers could be properly classified into six clusters based on the increment score of MPCK. Based on the findings, some suggestions and recommendations are discussed for future research.