An investigation of beginning secondary mathematics
teachers’ teaching: Unpacking the complex
relationship
between beliefs and practice
Babette M.
Benken
University
of Michigan
Attempting to understand teachers’ beliefs has
become an important area of study for mathematics teacher education (Thompson,
1992). Mathematics teachers’ beliefs
about mathematics, and mathematics teaching and learning, have been shown to
critically influence what happens in the classroom (Cooney, 1994). This study aims to contribute to the
literature on secondary mathematics teachers’ beliefs by shedding new light on
how those beliefs relate to practice.
This interpretive case study (Merriam, 1988)
explores two beginning (less than three full years of teaching experience)
secondary mathematics teachers’ beliefs about mathematics and the teaching and
learning of mathematics, and how these beliefs are related to their developing
practices within the context of their classrooms and schools. Data were collected between September 1999
and January 2000. Primary sources of
data included interviews (10 with each participant) and classroom observations
(15 with each participant).
The relationship was theorized to involve
multiple factors including (1) teachers’ beliefs about mathematics, teaching
and learning, (2) teachers’ content and pedagogical content knowledge, and (3)
teachers’ perceptions of aspects related to the physical setting (e.g., school
and classroom). Preliminary results
suggest that all of the theorized factors play a role in shaping these
beginning teachers’ decision-making and practice. The poster will describe a model of this relationship.
References
Cooney, T. J.
(1994). Research and teacher education:
In search of common ground. Journal for Research in Mathematics
Education, 25, 608-636.
Merriam, S. B.
(1988). Case study research in education: A qualitative approach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Thompson, A. G. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and conceptions: A synthesis of the research. In D. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp.127-146). New York: Macmillan.