ABSTRACT
This chapter shows knowledge, experience and beliefs that put master maths teachers where they are in their profession and distinguishes them from the majority of their peers. Rich findings are drawn from in-depth analyses of teachers’ writing (69,903 words) on their PD trajectories and the development of Master Teacher Studios. Content analyses generate word frequencies and key themes of master teachers’ PD stories. General growth patterns emerge from teacher accounts of their life stories as to how they grew into a master mathematics teacher, in addition to our observation of school-based PD in Chapter 2. Attributes include efforts devoted, key events, key figures, habits of work, professional values and beliefs. Master teachers play a leading role in their peers’ PD in China. To shed light on teacher PD in action, the remainder of the chapter also draws on our participatory observation of the teaching research events at school, municipal, provincial and national levels.
