Along with being asked about participation in professional development in the last two years (Exhibits 9.13 through 9.16), teachers were asked about their need for future professional development in the same areas. Teachers’ reports on their professional development needs are presented in Exhibits 9.17, 9.18, 9.19, and 9.20, for fourth grade mathematics and science and eighth grade mathematics and science, respectively.

On average across countries, professional development related to integrating technology into instruction and improving students’ critical thinking skills were the two areas of need most commonly reported by mathematics and science teachers in the fourth and eighth grades. In both grades and both subjects, 68 to 72 percent of students had teachers who identified integrating technology into instruction as a need (72% in fourth grade mathematics, 68% in fourth grade science, 71% in eighth grade mathematics, and 70% in eighth grade science); 65 to 69 percent of students had teachers who identified improving critical thinking or problem solving/inquiry skills as a need (69% in fourth and eighth grade mathematics, 65% in fourth grade science, and 68% in eighth grade science). Addressing individual students’ needs was the third most commonly reported area of need for teachers of mathematics in both grades and teachers of science in eighth grade; 64 to 66 percent of students had teachers who identified addressing individual students’ needs as a professional development need (64% for fourth grade mathematics, 65% for eighth grade mathematics, and 66% for eighth grade science). In fourth grade science, the third area of greatest need was integrating science into other subjects (62%).

It is perhaps not surprising that integrating technology into instruction was a common need given the growing role of technology in instruction and, in fourth grade, it was one of the less common areas of teachers’ reported participation. Addressing individual students’ needs was also one of the less commonly reported areas of professional development participation for eighth grade mathematics teachers and science teachers in both grades (see Exhibits 9.13 through 9.16).