Knowing and Learning Mathematics for Teaching: Proceedings of a Workshop

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Knowing and Learning Mathematics for Teaching

that prospective teachers need deep and substantial knowledge of mathematics content; however, there is varying opinion about the level, breadth, and formality of this content. Others are concerned that prospective teachers have content knowledge that will be useful to them in classroom settings with diverse student populations. To some, there is the perception that these two perspectives are mutually exclusive, while others look for a balance. Recently developed standards-based K-5 curriculum materials impose substantial new mathematical demands on K-5 teachers, and developers worry that teacher preparation courses will not adequately prepare teachers to employ these mathematically challenging materials in the classroom or to manage the mathematical discussions that emerge in classrooms when they are used. Thus, one of the two major questions addressed at the workshop was: What is the mathematical knowledge teachers need to know to teach well?

At the same time, professional developers in mathematics education (Ball & Cohen, 1999; Schifter, Bastable, & Russell, 1999; Shulman, 1992; Stein, Smith, Henningson, & Silver, 2000), particularly at the inservice level, are building experience and expertise with professional development materials and tools, including the use of videos, case studies, teacher reflections on practice, mathematicians' commentaries, analyses of student work, and the use of curriculum materials by teachers. While many of these efforts have shown promise with inservice teachers, there is very little experience in the mathematics education or mathematics communities with incorporating such practice-based approaches to teacher development into preservice content courses. Thus, a second question of the workshop was: How can teachers develop the mathematical knowledge they need to teach well?

REFERENCES

Ball, D. L., & Cohen, D. K. ( 1999). Developing practice, developing practitioners: Toward a practice-based theory of professional education. In G. Sykes & L. Darling-Hammond (Eds.), Teaching as the learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice (pp. 3-32). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Begle, E. G. ( 1979). Critical variables in mathematics education: Findings from a survey of the empirical literature. Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America.

Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, (in preparation). Mathematical education of teachers. Draft report available on-line: http://www.maa.org/cbms.

Monk, D. H. ( 1994). Subject area preparation of secondary mathematics and science teachers and student achievement. Economics of Education Review, 13(2), 125-145.

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National Science Foundation. ( 1996). Shaping the future. Washington, DC: Author.

Schifter, D., Bastable, V., & Russell, S. J. (with Yaffee, L., Lester, J. B., & Cohen, S.) ( 1999). Developing mathematical ideas, number and operations part 2: Making meaning for operations casebook. Parsippany, NJ: Dale Seymour.

Shulman, J. ( 1992). Case methods in teacher education. New York: Teachers College Press.

Stein, M. K., Smith, M. S., Henningson, M. A., & Silver, E. A. ( 1999). Implementing standards-based mathematics instruction: A casebook for professional development . New York: Teachers College Press.

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