Professional development and teacher learning: Using concept maps in inquiry classrooms

Two urban middle school science teachers used concept maps as a form of assessment in their inquiry-oriented teaching. Critical steps in this learning process included adapting curriculum materials to a specific school context, adjusting and re-evaluating strategies, contextualizing concept mapping for students, and finding time and structures for peer collaboration. The two teachers in this study used professional development as an opportunity to interact with other teachers in similar teaching contexts with similar learning outcome goals