Designing for actively engaging with mathematics education research in mentoring practice: a Vignette Activity Sequence approach

Abstract This paper describes the design principles and impact of an online asynchronous short course “Key Ideas in Mentoring Mathematics Teachers”, contributing to the professional development (PD) of prospective and practicing school-based mentors of mathematics teachers. The course was designed to empower mentors with knowledge about research informed practice and instil in them a welcoming stance towards mathematics education research. An Architecture of Online Engagement and a Vignette Activity Sequence approaches were employed in the design of the course, as means of supporting the participants to critically reflect on their teaching practices through engagement with topic-specific mathematics education research and on the implications for their mentoring practices. With a focus on the Vignette Activity Sequence (VAS) in particular, we discuss the potential impact and value of this approach to designing an online asynchronous professional development course in general, but also in the context of mentors of mathematics teachers. This paper’s contribution lies in the discussion of design principles of a PD course that successfully engage mentors with mathematics education research literature, while allowing them to reflect on their own practices and experiences.