Mathematics teachers’ values about teaching mathematics

Not much is known about mathematics teachers’ values, and no assessment tool is available for measuring these to get more insight into their perspectives. The goals of this study are to construct the Mathematics Teachers’ Values Questionnaire (MTVQ) and to determine mathematics teachers’ values about teaching mathematics using the MTVQ. In order to do this, data have been gathered for exploratory factor analysis (n = 637) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 573) while developing the instrument, and a proportional stratified random sample has been formed consisting of 2226 Turkish middle and high school mathematics teachers working at schools that provide more religious education than other middle and high schools. Five components have been extracted: relevance (C1), practice (C2), information and communications technology (ICT; C3), teaching approach (C4), and consolidating (C5). One result of the study reveals the mathematics teachers emphasize the least ICT value and the most consolidating value.     

Investigating Chinese preschool teachers’ beliefs in mathematics teaching from a cross-cultural perspective

In China, preschool curriculum has undergone reform and profound changes. Much remains unknown, however, regarding preschool teachers’ teaching beliefs after 30 years of curriculum reform and adaptation. This study aimed to address the issue and investigate teachers’ beliefs concerning teaching mathematics. Twelve preschool teachers in China participated in the study: they watched videos of mathematics lessons conducted in the US and were interviewed with questions regarding the lessons. Qualitative analysis was then applied; themes were searched from the participants’ responses. The study revealed that Chinese preschool teachers acknowledged the features of (a) active learning, (b) involving every child, and (c) connecting lessons with everyday activities. However, they believed that their own teaching would be more purposeful: they would choose a specific content focus, use a series of steps, and make explicit summary at the end. The study also revealed Chinese preschool teachers’ solid specialized content knowledge in mathematics.     

Student teachers’ patterns of reflection in the context of teaching practice

This study clarifies the basic structure of student teachers’ reflective thinking. It presents a constructivist account of teacher knowledge through a detailed analysis of various patterns of reflection in student teacher portfolios. We aim to gain a greater understanding of the process and outcomes of portfolio writing in the context of teaching practice. By closely analysing portfolio texts, we defined six main starting points for reflective episodes and several patterns under each of them. Also, the patterns of reflective episodes were analysed according to their deductive and inductive dimensions, together with their static and dynamic features. According to our results, it is possible that student teachers can reflect beyond solely practical issues on teaching, articulate multiple concerns about practice and elaborate them in an integrative manner as well as learn both from theory and from practice as a result of reflection for their future profession.     

Developing teachers’ pedagogical practice in teaching science lessons with mobile phones

This paper presents the findings of an investigation carried out in Sri Lanka to explore how mobile phones can support science teachers’ pedagogical practices throughout the teaching cycle of planning, teaching and evaluation. Data were collected using observation supported by audio and video recordings from both continuing professional development workshops where a group of teachers planned four science lessons that integrated mobile phones and the subsequent implementation of those lessons. Thematic network analysis, carried out on the data with the help of NVivo8 qualitative analysis software, showed how mobile phones were used and the issues involved. It concluded that mobile phones can support science teaching in a variety of ways, in particular with communication during planning lessons, with relating subject knowledge to authentic locations and activities during teaching and with image and data capture to support assessment and post-lesson reflection. The additional pedagogical practices and knowledge base required when integrating mobile phones into science lessons are discussed in the light of Shulman’s original model.     

Tracing the development of preservice teachers’ efficacy beliefs in teaching mathematics during fieldwork

This paper focuses on efficacy beliefs with respect to teaching mathematics; it aims at testing and validating an existing scale for measuring efficacy beliefs in the domain of mathematics, examining the development of preservice teachers’ efficacy beliefs in mathematics during fieldwork, and identifying factors that contribute to the development of these beliefs. Exploratory factor analysis applied to longitudinal data collected through a questionnaire administered to almost 90 preservice teachers elicited a two-factor model, reflecting efficacy beliefs in mathematics instruction and classroom management. Using cluster analysis, we found four patterns in the development of preservice teachers’ efficacy beliefs regarding these two factors. Our analysis of semi-structured interviews with eight participants representing these four patterns suggested that preservice teachers’ efficacy beliefs were mainly informed by experimentation with teaching and interaction with mentors, tutors, peers, and pupils. Based on our findings, we draw implications for mathematics preservice teacher education and provide suggestions for future research.

Promoting teachers’ awareness about mathematics,its teaching and learning

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education -     

Exploring beginning teachers’ attrition in the Netherlands

Based on a review of recent studies and reports, this research investigates attrition among beginning teachers in the Netherlands as well as reasons for teacher attrition, and compares the finding with studies on this topic conducted elsewhere in the world. The findings suggest that attrition among beginning teachers in the Netherlands with a percentage close to 15% is somewhat lower than in countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. Yet, causes for attrition are comparable to those reported elsewhere. Interestingly, attrition seemed lower for teachers with a teaching degree, suggesting that teacher education may play a vital role in reducing attrition. In addition, it seems that high-quality coaching and supervision, reducing workload, and organizing a social network for beginning teachers may be important factors in reducing attrition. Finally, there is a need for better registration and monitoring of teacher attrition and for more comprehensive research on this topic.     

Preservice teachers’ teacher efficacy beliefs and constructivist-based teaching practice

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between preservice teachers’ (PTs) teacher efficacy beliefs and their constructivist-based teaching practices. Data were gathered through the questionnaire (Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale) and the observation protocol (Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol) administered to the participants. A total number of 101 PTs (53.5 % from science education and 46.5 % from mathematics education) from a university in eastern part of Turkey participated in the study. Also, qualitative data were also used in order to clarify quantitative data. The semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 PTs who voluntarily participated in these interviews. Results showed that PTs’ constructivist-based teaching practice was positively correlated with their teacher efficacy beliefs. Also, qualitative findings confirmed that finding. To conclude, PTs with high teacher efficacy tend to employ constructivist approach in their teaching while PTs with low teacher efficacy tend to use traditional approach, lecturing in their teaching.     

Unpacking foreshadowing in mathematics teachers’ planned practices

This paper provides an empirical exploration of mathematics teachers’ planned practices. Specifically, it explores the practice of foreshadowing, which was one of Wasserman’s (2015) four mathematical teaching practices. The study analyzed n?=?16 lessons that were planned by pairs of highly qualified and experienced secondary mathematics teachers, as well as the dialogue that transpired, to identify the considerations the teachers made during this planning process. The paper provides empirical evidence that teachers engage in foreshadowing as they plan lessons, and it exemplifies four ways teachers engaged in this practice: foreshadowing concepts, foreshadowing techniques, foregrounding concepts, and foregrounding techniques. Implications for mathematics teacher education are discussed.

     

Primary teachers’ epistemological beliefs: some perceived barriers to investigative teaching in primary mathematics

A recent investigation of primary teachers’ epistemological beliefs concerning the teaching and learning of mathematics discovered that teachers’ beliefs cannot be said to form neat world views. Teachers’ hybrid world views often included epistemological beliefs that supported teaching approaches which evidence suggests leads to greater conceptual understanding of mathematics. Classroom observations and semi‐structured interviews with primary teachers suggested that although there is a desire to adopt an investigative approach, this is perceived to be largely incompatible with some of the requirements of the UK National Curriculum. Common potential barriers identified by teachers included: the volume of curriculum content they are required to cover, the limited time available to cover it, some working practices perceived to be associated with the current emphasis on teacher accountability and the current method of assessment by Standard Assessment Task tests (SATs). The findings are discussed in relation to challenges facing UK policy‐makers if an approach to teaching primary mathematics, which is known to support conceptual understanding, is to flourish.     

The impact of instruction in enhancing teachers’ knowledge of teaching mathematics in some Lesotho primary schools

The quality of mathematics teaching in Lesotho primary education remains one of the vexing problems in the education system. The study investigated how teachers viewed the impact of instruction on enhancing their knowledge of teaching. Data for the study were elicited from the second-year students enrolled for a Bachelor of Education in the 2009/10 academic year at the National University of Lesotho. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The findings show that before instruction, the teachers operated with limited knowledge of teaching. At the end of the course the teachers’ knowledge of teaching was enhanced. Significant change was apportioned to engaging in reflection and teaching for relational understanding. Implications of the findings for the course, teacher education and professional development are also discussed.     

Secondary mathematics cooperating teachers’ perceptions of the purpose of student teaching

This article reports on the results of a survey of 45 secondary mathematics cooperating teachers’ perceptions of the primary purposes of student teaching and their roles in accomplishing those purposes. The most common purposes were interacting with an experienced, practising teacher, having a real classroom experience, and experiencing and learning about classroom management. The most common roles were providing the space for experience, modeling, facilitating reflection, and sharing knowledge. The findings provided insights into the cooperating teachers’ perceptions about both what should be learned through student teaching and how it should be learned. These findings paint a picture of cooperating teachers who do not see themselves as teacher educators—teachers of student teachers. Implications for mathematics teacher educators are discussed.     

Connections between learning and teaching: EFL teachers’ reflective practice

This study explores six Vietnamese, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ reflections on their experiences of English language learning during the early 1980s to the late 1990s. Data collected in narrative interviews with the participating teachers revealed a wide range of issues that arose during their EFL learning, central to which was the prevalence of grammar-focused practices in all EFL classes. From their perspectives as EFL teachers today, the participants see their learning experience as a way of learning to teach. In particular, they pinpoint the negative aspects of language teaching at that time in the hope that their teaching practice today will not repeat the same mistakes. However, they also reflect on positive aspects, especially their influential teachers, to inform their teaching. Based on the findings, the study suggests that language teachers’ experience of language learning should be considered part of reflective teaching as well as of teachers’ trajectories of learning to teach.     

Mathematics student teachers’ views on tutor feedback during teaching practice

A group of students studying to become mathematics teachers were asked to comment on the tutor feedback they received during teaching practice (TP) and to offer suggestions aimed at improving this feedback. Analysis of the written data – which was collected through emails – suggests the need for: (i) all TP tutors to provide good quality feedback; (ii) action aimed at deepening students’ understanding of feedback; and (iii) feedback improvement strategies that take into consideration the students’ sense of practicality. The ensuing discussion serves to promote the idea that teachers-to-be can learn a lot about the constructive role of feedback when they observe their tutors managing successfully during TP the inherent tensions between the formative and summative dimensions of assessment. This would require however a shift in pre-service teacher education from simply ‘teaching by telling’ to also ‘teaching by example’.     

Institutional traditions in teachers’ manners of teaching

The aim of this article is to make a close case study of one teacher’s teaching in relation to established traditions within science education in Sweden. The teacher’s manner of teaching is analysed with the help of an epistemological move analysis. The moves made by the teacher are then compared in a context of educational philosophy and selective tradition. In the analyses the focus is to study the process of teaching and learning in action in institutionalised and socially shared practices. The empirical material consists of video recordings of four lessons with the same group of students and the same teacher. The students are all in Year 7 in a Swedish 9-year compulsory school. During these lessons the students work with a subject area called “Properties of materials”. The results show that the teacher makes a number of different moves with regard to how to proceed and come to a conclusion about what the substances are. Many of these moves are special in that they indicate that the students need to be able to handle the procedural level of school science. These moves do not deal directly with the knowledge production process, but with methodological aspects. The function of the moves turns the students’ attention from one source of knowledge to another. The moves are aimed at helping the students to help themselves, since it is through their own activity and their own thinking that learning takes place. This is characteristic in the teacher’s manner of teaching. When compared in a context of educational philosophy, this manner of teaching has similarities with progressentialism; a mixture of essentialism and progressivism. This educational philosophy is a central aspect of what is called the academic tradition—a selective tradition common in science education in Sweden between 1960 and 1990.     

Approaches to teaching in thematic work: early childhood teachers’ integration of mathematics and art

Thematic work that integrates different knowledge areas is considered suitable for developing young children’s knowledge and skills in early childhood education. This paper reports evidence from a survey of early childhood teachers’ work with mathematics and art integrated in thematic work. In this study, we aim to explore how teachers perceive mathematics learning and teaching integrated with art. Data for analysis were collected from a questionnaire answered by 27 early childhood teachers from Finland and Sweden. Influenced by a sociocultural theoretical framework, the analysis concerns the teachers’ expressed goals for learning and their strategies for achieving these goals. The analysis reveals qualitatively different approaches to the learning goals addressed by the teachers – process-oriented, product-oriented, development-oriented and providing awareness – which, respectively, seem to generate different meanings of mathematical learning integrated with art. This study offers an overview of teachers’ approaches to teaching mathematics and art in thematic work, and of how different approaches may influence what mathematical meaning is offered to children to explore.