The Role of Coflection in Equity-Centered Mathematics Professional Development Practices

Abstract

This article is about locating equity concerns within epistemic processes in school mathematics professional development. The professional development literature indicates a focus on subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge without explicit attention to equity concerns as they arise in professional development practice. Though scholars have called attention to the professional learning needed for equity practice, the equity and professional development literatures do not directly inform each other. In professional development practice, teachers' assumptions underlying equity issues often remain unchallenged. We use the term “coflection,” (Skovsmose & Valero, 2001), an epistemic, or knowledge-generating process, to capture the socially critical nature of the interactions among teachers within professional learning experiences that we believe are necessary for generating the kinds of knowledge teachers need to facilitate students' academic success. Using examples of practice from the literature and our own research experiences, we argue that coflection centers equity concerns within teachers' professional development practice.