Purpose
The article studies kindergarten employees’ individual and collective perspectives on kindergarten mathematics teaching in connection with participation in a professional development programme. In the study, the teaching objectives, which teachers wrote down together at the start and end of the programme, are compared with three of the kindergarten teachers’ individual notes during the year. The aim of the study is to gain more knowledge about the professional development of mathematics teaching among kindergarten staff, as well as to acquire knowledge about the benefits of professional development programmes. The three research questions are: 1) What changes can be found in the collectively written objectives regarding mathematics teaching in kindergarten? 2) What variation is found in the individual notes made by the three kindergarten teachers? 3) Are there connections/disparities between the collective objectives and the individual notes?
Result
The results indicate that although the professional development of the kindergarten staff seems collective, it is not common. The collective objectives that the staff wrote together are perceived differently by the staff. Therefore, it may seem that common mathematics teaching objectives in the same kindergarten involve large differences in the teaching performed by individual teachers. The researchers believe that if collective professional development programmes are to have an effect, the participants’ different perceptions must be made visible. In addition, a common professional language must be developed, as well as the evaluation and planning of mathematics in kindergarten and further professional development.
Design
The sample consists of seven kindergarten teachers from a Swedish kindergarten who participated in a one-year professional development programme. At the start and end of the programme, the participants jointly developed objectives regarding mathematics teaching in kindergarten. Three of the employees who participated in the programme also wrote individual notes about their own attitudes, views and feelings related to mathematics teaching. None of these three employees had kindergarten teacher education or had previously participated in mathematics teaching courses.
References
Palmér, H. (2019). “Collective and individual perspectives on preschool mathematics within a professional development programme”. International Journal of Early Years Education, 27(3): 306-321.