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Impact of a content and methods course sequence on prospective secondary mathematics teachers’ beliefs

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Abstract

In this article, we report on a study of beliefs about mathematics, teaching, and proof conducted with six prospective secondary mathematics teachers as they completed a two-semester sequence of a content course and a methods course. The initial beliefs of the participants were identified using interview and survey data, and potential shifts in beliefs were examined through further interview and survey data combined with classroom observations and written work. While their beliefs about mathematics and proof appeared to be relatively stable, their beliefs about teaching shifted from a more teacher-centered view to beliefs that foreground the activities and understandings of the students. These shifts are analyzed using the construct of belief structures, and activities and events from the courses that may have facilitated the shifts are identified. The results are consistent with the literature in some respects, such as the stability of the participants’ beliefs about mathematics. On the other hand, our results present new information about how prospective secondary mathematics teachers’ beliefs about teaching may be impacted.

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Notes

  1. We consider beliefs to be part of a person’s conceptions of teaching, mathematics, or proof. However, we retain the use of the word conceptions when it is used by an author, realizing that they are talking about a larger category than just beliefs.

  2. The video depicts Deborah Ball as a third-grade teacher orchestrating a discussion on the definition of even and odd numbers. The excerpt used comes from 2008 NCTM Monograph 14 by Schoenfeld (Ed.).

  3. The class read and discussed “Toward an Understanding of Student-Centered Teaching,” a chapter from Becoming a Reflective Mathematics Teacher: A Guide for Observations and Self-Assessment (Artzt et al. 2008).

  4. The Thinker–Doer activity is adapted from an activity by Hart et al. (2004). In this problem-solving activity, the Doer works an unfamiliar problem, while the Thinker acts as a coach, asking questions to facilitate the Doer’s thinking without giving away a solution method.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded in part by a Faculty Research Grant, “Prospective Teachers’ Changing Views of Mathematics and Teaching in Mathematics Education Courses,” from the University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Georgia Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Georgia, 105 Aderhold Hall, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    AnnaMarie Conner & Brian W. Gleason

  2. Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA

    Kelly W. Edenfield & Filyet Asli Ersoz

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  1. AnnaMarie Conner
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  2. Kelly W. Edenfield
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  3. Brian W. Gleason
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  4. Filyet Asli Ersoz
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Correspondence to AnnaMarie Conner.

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Conner, A., Edenfield, K.W., Gleason, B.W. et al. Impact of a content and methods course sequence on prospective secondary mathematics teachers’ beliefs. J Math Teacher Educ 14, 483–504 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-011-9186-8

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