TOGETHER WE CAN! HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA PLC MEMBERS’ EXPERIENCES ON IMPLEMENTING NEW CURRICULUM AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR SELF-EFFICACY

When state or federal legislation adopts new standards, the workload falls on the teachers. Unfortunately, research has shown a decline in teachers’ preparedness due to the many changes in the standards for mathematics in Georgia in the last twenty years. Studies show that teachers have felt overwhelmed and stressed when implementing previous curriculum changes which have decreased the teachers’ self-efficacy levels. This calls for professional learning communities (PLCs) to provide improvement and sustainment in teachers’ self-efficacy in implementing the new curriculum. Little research has been done to describe the teachers’ experience with the recent change in Georgia's mathematics curriculum. There has also been little research about the impact PLCs have on influencing high school teachers’ self-efficacy while implementing the new mathematics curriculum. This study used an interpretive phenomenology study to describe the lived experiences of Algebra Concepts & Connection (Algebra C&C) teachers within one high school. This study also described the impact PLCs have on their self-efficacy. Interviews, observations, and documentation were used as data to describe their unique perspectives on implementing the new mathematics standards as members of PLCs. Findings revealed that participants felt overwhelmed by curriculum change. With the support of the district’s monthly professional developments and PLCs, the participants felt more empowered and supported to strive to teach the Algebra C&C more effectively.