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The Development of Teachers’ Professional Competence

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Cognitive Activation in the Mathematics Classroom and Professional Competence of Teachers

Part of the book series: Mathematics Teacher Education ((MTEN,volume 8))

Abstract

This chapter offers a theoretical overview of the development of teachers’ professional competence. Drawing on the literature on teacher quality and teacher education, it discusses two diverging perspectives on the development of teachers’ professional knowledge and skills, namely, the “individual aptitude” approach and the “professional qualification” approach. It then presents a theoretical model that integrates various theoretical approaches that have been used to explain the emergence of interindividual differences in teacher competence. Based on empirical evidence, this model predicts that teachers’ professional competence develops through the active uptake of various learning opportunities and that individual characteristics influence the degree to which teachers utilize these learning opportunities. Moreover, the model assumes that the provision of learning opportunities is dependent on certain contextual variables, such as the education system or school-specific characteristics. This model of the determinants and consequences of professional competence provides a comprehensive theoretical framework for the empirical studies presented in the subsequent chapters.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    COACTIV-R was financed by the Strategic Innovation Fund of the Max Planck Society.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Psychology, Goethe University Frankfurt, PEG, Grüneburgplatz 1, 60323, Frankfurt, Germany

    Mareike Kunter

  2. Department of Educational Research, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN), Olshausenstraße 62, 24118, Kiel, Germany

    Thilo Kleickmann

  3. IPN – Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, Olshausenstraße 62, 24118, Kiel, Germany

    Uta Klusmann

  4. Institute for Educational Quality Improvement, Humboldt University Berlin, Hannoversche Straße 19, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Dirk Richter

Authors
  1. Mareike Kunter
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  2. Thilo Kleickmann
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  3. Uta Klusmann
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  4. Dirk Richter
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Correspondence to Mareike Kunter .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Institute of Psychology, University of Frankfurt am Main, Postfach 125, Frankfurt am Main, 60054, Germany

    Mareike Kunter

  2. , Center for Educational Research, Max Planck Institute for Human Developme, Lentzeallee 94, Berlin, 14195, Germany

    Jürgen Baumert

  3. Mathematik/Informatik, Universität Kassel, Kassel, 34109, Germany

    Werner Blum

  4. Christian Albrecht University, Kiel, Lentzeallee 94, Berlin, 14195, Germany

    Ute Klusmann

  5. , Faculty of Mathematics Education of Math, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 31, Regensburg, 93053, Germany

    Stefan Krauss

  6. , Institute of Mathematics, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenbu, Oldenburg, 26111, Germany

    Michael Neubrand

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Kunter, M., Kleickmann, T., Klusmann, U., Richter, D. (2013). The Development of Teachers’ Professional Competence. In: Kunter, M., Baumert, J., Blum, W., Klusmann, U., Krauss, S., Neubrand, M. (eds) Cognitive Activation in the Mathematics Classroom and Professional Competence of Teachers. Mathematics Teacher Education, vol 8. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5149-5_4

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