8: Using Narrative Cases in Mathematics Teacher Professional Development: Strategic Selection and Facilitation Issues¹

One example of a practice-based approach to mathematics teacher professional development is the use of narrative cases of mathematics classroom lessons to stimulate inquiry into teaching and learning. Given that limited time is allotted for teacher professional development, strategic choices are critical regarding the selection of cases and the aspects of a chosen case on which to focus teachers’ attention during facilitation. In this chapter, we draw on our experience in BIFOCAL (Beyond Implementation: Focus on Challenge and Learning) – a multiyear, practice-based professional development project for teachers of mathematics in the middle grades – to illustrate some issues and challenges encountered in selecting and facilitating narrative case. We highlight three general principles that we believe can apply across a variety ofprofessional development settings to guide matters of case selection andfacilitation.