Mathematics Colloquium

Upcoming Colloquium

Designing Teacher Professional Development to Advance Elementary Teachers Practices and Well-being
Dr. Dionne Cross Francis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

May 4, 2026
12:30pm-1:30pm via Zoom

Join 5/4 Zoom
Meeting ID: 865 0194 1650

Abstract

Teachers often need support to strengthen their instructional practices to advance student outcomes. Professional development (PD) in group settings is the most common format of this support, although reports of its effectiveness, particularly in STEM, have been mixed (Kennedy, 1998). One drawback of traditional PD models is that they tend to focus primarily on advancing teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) and instructional practices but neglect the psychological and emotional aspects of teaching. Although instructional coaching has the potential to address these needs, like traditional PD models, most coaching models also overlook the psycho-social-emotional dimensions – such as identity, beliefs, emotions, and efficacy – that significantly influence teaching. In this presentation, I will describe a coaching model called Holistic Personalized Coaching (HPC) designed to foreground teachers' psycho-social-emotional attributes while attending to MKT and practices. I describe how participation in HPC advanced teachers' instructional practices and well-being. Findings from this study respond to calls for PD that sustains motivation and fosters agency—elements often underexplored in scalable coaching models.

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Dionne Cross Francis is the Joseph R. Neikirk Term Professor in the Culture, Curriculum and Teacher Education Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on identifying the contextual, cultural, and teacher-specific factors that influence teacher actions as they plan and instruct. By deepening our understanding of these factors, we can determine the optimal design features of professional development that allow teachers to thrive. Results of this work have informed the design and implementation of professional development initiatives in the US (Indiana, Georgia) and internationally [Ghana, Jamaica, Kosovo, South Sudan, Turkey]. She has received both U.S. state and federal funding for her work, along with several awards for her research, teaching, and service.