Providing a Model for Continuous Professional Development of Mathematics Teachers Based on the Brain-Education Approach: A Systematic Review

Objective: Given the statistics provided by the ministry of education on the decline in the number of students interested in mathematics education and the student’s weakness and disability in mathematical learning as well as the important role of mathematics in their lives and future, it is therefore necessary to take advantage of some strategies to resolve the above mentioned problems. It is undeniable that teachers play a main role in this regard. It is important to learn how to influence student’s learning via continuous professional development for teachers. The purpose of the present study is to provide a model for continuous professional development of mathematics teachers based on the brain-education approach. Method: The present systematic review study was conducted in eight steps: subject selection, determining the exclusion and inclusion criteria, identifying search strategy using tools in databases and standard related keywords, determining location of the study area (The most important and relevant databases included in the current study were  ERIC, Research gate, Science Direct, Academia.edu" and Persian database for Comprehensive Portal of Human Sciences: Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, SID, Magiran, Noormags, and Iranian Research Institute for Scientific Information and Documentation (IRANDOC). Studies were selected through a review of 109 abstracts and their quality was evaluated (At this stage, after designing the quality assessment tool, two researchers independently extracted and scored the references (29 related articles). Then, the data were extracted, analyzed and presented. Findings: To help mathematics teachers for teaching math lessons, the current study provided a model of continuous professional development for mathematics teachers based on the brain-education approach through identifying nine dimensions including brain structure and mathematical processing, application of numerical processes to mathematical achievement, extensive mathematical processing model, role of working memory and attention control in mathematics achievement, establishing a relationship between the cognitive neuroscience and mathematics training in the classroom by means of brain imaging, limitations of educational neuroscience for mathematics training, changes in teaching mathematics methods by understanding the brain function while learning mathematics and students' academic achievement in mathematics with brain-compatible learning and brain-based education package.  Among them, the vast majority of studies have mostly focused on the relationship between the cognitive neuroscience and mathematics training in the classroom with the help of neuroimaging and changes in teaching mathematics methods by understanding the brain function while learning mathematics. In addition, there has been less emphasis on the dimensions of applying numerical processes to mathematics achievement and extensive mathematics processing model. Conclusion: The nine dimensions identified in this study can be used to provide effective mathematics teaching for students based on the brain-education approach and can be useful and effective for mathematics teachers in the context of a continuous professional development model.