RR 88-4 Changing mathematical conceptions of preservice teachers: A content and pedagogical intervention.
Abstract
Leaders in mathematics education are calling for a reorganization of the mathematics curriculum around concept development and problem solving. For many elementary teachers, the limitations of their knowledge about mathematics and teaching mathematics constrains their ability to teach conceptually. If prospective elementary teachers are to overcome these limitations, they must have opportunities in their teacher preparation programs to deepen their knowledge about the nature of mathematics, children's mathematics learning, and instructional practices that promote conceptual understanding.
This study examines the piloting of a sequence of innovative mathematics courses for undergraduate education majors. These courses emphasize the conceptual foundations of mathematics and actively engage prospective elementary teachers in making sense of mathematical situations. The main question informing the study is, What is the nature and extent of changes in the knowledge about mathematics, mathematics learning, and mathematics teaching among students as a result of these courses?
Results from this study suggest that change in two important areas occurred in student thinking about mathematics as a consequence of this intervention: a change in students' conception of what mathematics is and a change in their perception of what a mathematics class is like and in their knowledge of how mathematics is learned.