Design-based knowledge building practices in mathematics teaching

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of engaging teacher-education students in sustained design and knowledge building practices in mathematics teaching on their views of mathematics and mathematics teaching. Participants were nine teacher-education students who took a university course titled "Middle School Mathematics Teaching." Data primarily came from student discourse recorded in a Knowledge Forum database, peer evaluation and video analysis on student teaching practices, and an open-ended mathematics belief survey. Preliminary results suggest that teacher-education students became progressively more adaptive in their teaching practice. More importantly, their views of mathematics became more constructivist-oriented, and in the meantime, their views of mathematics teaching also became more student-centered.