Professional Development for Technology Integration into Differentiated Math Instruction

Abstract

To make a connection between pedagogy and technology in teaching, this chapter will explore whether or not a professional development design and practice, whose aim is to help teachers use technology for personal purposes, readily translates into the ability to effectively teach and learn with technology. Adopting a conceptual framework known as self-efficacy beliefs and TPACK, or technological pedagogical content knowledge (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), this chapter discusses the design of a professional development model, the goal of which is increasing the critical attribute of the successful professional development: self-efficacy. In an effort to provide empirical knowledge to support this design, this chapter further showcases a faculty member's approaches to connecting technology and pedagogy using the TPACK approach, while implementing a model designed to improve teachers' self-efficacy. Implications and guidelines for developing teachers' self-efficacy, through activities during the professional development workshop, are discussed.