What’s happening in Australian mathematics professional learning?

The project, Towards Educating Mathematics Professionals Encompassing Science and Technology (TEMPEST), examines the extent and quality of professional learning (PL) opportunities for teachers of mathematics. Teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has become a focus of the Australian Government as these subjects are seen as essential to the future Australian economy. It is a professional requirement that teachers undergo PL. Many teachers of mathematics are not mathematics specialists and therefore it is essential that PL is of high quality. One aim of the TEMPEST project is to provide a quality framework to ensure the standard of any PL offered. Before developing this framework, 65 experts who deliver, design or facilitate mathematics PL for teachers were surveyed to determine the current state of mathematics PL in Australia. This paper summarises and analyses their responses. It describes current PL including year level focus, format (one-day workshop, weekly sessions for example) and type of teacher targeted. The paper reports gaps in PL currently offered throughout the country. Some gaps were identified by the expert respondents, while others emerged from analysis of the survey data. Gaps are reported in terms of target teacher audience, year level focus, location and PL format.