Transformative learning: noticing student strengths through frame shifting

Abstract

This exploratory study investigates the dynamics of frame shifting in teacher noticing, examining how structured pedagogical interventions support the development of strength-based noticing practices. The research offers theoretical insights by exploring mechanisms of professional transformation through an integrated framework synthesising professional noticing, transformative learning theory, and frame analysis. During an intensive two-week teacher education course, twenty-six prospective secondary mathematics teachers engaged with a structured coding scheme designed as both an analytical tool and pedagogical scaffold. Analysis of written responses to a standardised noticing task revealed decreases in deficit-based orientations and increases in strength-based orientations. These findings suggest that structured frame shifting—the deliberate practice of changing interpretive frameworks—supports teachers in developing more sophisticated ways of recognising and building upon student thinking. This study contributes evidence for mechanisms through which teachers develop new ways of attending, interpreting, and responding to students’ mathematical thinking, with implications for designing teacher education programs that promote equity-oriented teaching practices.