ABSTRACT
Richardson’s 1990 analysis of the research literature on teacher change and learning to teach reveals some important elements to consider regarding changes in teacher thinking and practice. She argued that to promote significant and worthwhile change, “teachers themselves must be involved in making judgments about what change is worthwhile and significant” (p. 14). Furthermore, she suggested that to inform these judgments, teachers should engage in conversations that bring together not only their own experiences, but also the practices and ways of thinking outside their individual experiences. This combination of teacher empowerment and reflection on classroom experience, as well as alternative practices and ways of thinking, is at the crux of Richardson’s theory of teacher change. Her ideas are at the heart of a professional development project at WestEd in San Francisco called Mathematics Case Methods.
