Enhancing mathematics teachers' professional development for creative teaching in Addis Ababa secondary schools

Abstract

The Ethiopian education system is imported from the West, and the traditional method of instruction (pouring information) in the ICT revolution era wastes time and resources. Learners can get more information about mathematics using portable devices such as cell phones, tablets, or personal computers at their homes. The imported school system doubled with the ICT revolution, demanding a change in the role of teachers. Therefore, teachers need training on the new requirements of teaching mathematics. This transcendental phenomenological study aimed to explore the impact of continuous professional development on equipping mathematics teachers with the skill of creative teaching in Addis Ababa secondary schools. The study was framed in the central question: To what extent does the existing continuous professional development program equip secondary school mathematics teachers with the skill of creative teaching? To that end, a qualitative study was done. Six participants were selected using purposive sampling, two from each of the three types of schools: Government, Private, and NGO. Data was collected through one-on-one interviews, lesson observation, and document analysis. Using Woods' features of creative teaching (Relevance, Control, Ownership, Innovation) and Cremin's dimensions of creative practice (Personal quality, Pedagogy, and Classroom ethos) as a lens to judge teachers' instruction methods, the implication is that teachers fail to practice creative teaching techniques. The study findings revealed that teachers are applying the traditional instruction method, transmitting what is transcribed in the textbook without any adjustment, including its deficiencies. The textbook content lacks logical order among chapters, the tasks are poor in connecting school and out-of-school experiences and are not supportive in fostering teachers' autonomy. The CPD program teachers' experience did not help improve their teaching practices and is not more than for report writing. In this study, the role of teachers in this ICT revolution era has been described; moreover, this study also contributes to the field of mathematics education by paving the way for debate among mathematics education educators on the role of teachers in the ICT and AI (Chat Gpt, Bing Chat) era. The study recommends that the CPD program should equip teachers with creative, challenging, and unusual teaching skills by considering the challenges and opportunities of ICT, real-life mathematics knowledge, the textbook's nature, and teachers' role in this era for meaningful teaching.