CP 89-3 Learning to teach: Constructing meaningful understanding of mathematical content.
Abstract
This paper discusses the development of the mathematical experiences which make up the three-term sequence of mathematics courses taken by participants in the Elementary Mathematics Project (EMP). EMP is a longitudinal study of change in preservice teachers' perceptions and beliefs about mathematics. For the mathematics courses, the authors consider both content and teaching. Under mathematical content they discuss the main topics and mathematical problem solving; under doing mathematics they discuss abstraction, reasoning, unique answers, and time spent on problems. Mathematical connections are discussed with a focus on representations and applications. Instruction includes a discussion of their use of problem situations, development of community, and periodic reflections as part of the intervention. Throughout the paper, examples are given from the students' experiences in the courses.