RR 88-2 Research on teaching mathematics: Making subject matter knowledge part of the equation.
Abstract
This paper offers a framework for examining the role of subject matter knowledge in the teaching of mathematics. Starting with a brief review of the history of efforts to investigate the role of subject matter knowledge, the paper continues with an in-depth look at what "subject matter knowledge of mathematics" might mean. An approach to examining and analyzing teachers' knowledge of mathematics is illustrated, using the topic of place value as an example. Three cases of teaching multiplication in fourth grade are presented in the final section of the paper. The analysis explores how each teacher's knowledge of mathematics interacts with her ideas about the teaching and learning of mathematics and her ideas about pupils and context.