PiE 2010 Volume 28 Issue 4

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http://hdl.handle.net/11660/2653

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Browsing PiE 2010 Volume 28 Issue 4 by Subject "Curriculum"

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    Learning about the effectiveness of teacher education: a Chilean study
    (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Avalos, Beatrice; Téllez, Francisco; Navarro, Silvia
    The article reviews some of the problems faced by teacher education in general and in Chile specifically, and on this basis, presents the results of a study focused on the effects of six teacher education programmes on future primary level teachers’ learning of mathematics and mathematics pedagogy. The study describes the programmes and presents the results of a questionnaire and content knowledge test administered to future teachers in their first, third and final year of studies. The article considers as possible explanations for unsatisfactory effects of teacher preparation on future teacher learning, the relatively poor entry levels of student teachers and the generalist structure of the programmes. Differences among programmes between time allocation to mathematics and mathematics pedagogy learning did not appear to have an effect. Specific courses, however, did appear to make a difference among institutions.
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    Making Euclidean geometry compulsory: are we prepared?
    (Faculty of Education, University of the Free State, 2010) Van Putten, Sonja; Howie, Sarah; Stols, Gerrit
    This study investigated the attitude towards, as well as the level of understanding of Euclidean geometry in pre-service mathematics education (PME) students. In order to do so, a case study was undertaken within which a one group pre-post-test procedure was conducted around a geometry module, and a representative group of students was interviewed before and after the module to discuss their experiences of learning geometry and to analyse their attitudes towards the subject. The Van Hiele Theory of Levels of Thought in Geometry was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The geometry module offered did change the students’ attitude towards geometry, but still did not bring about a sufficient improvement in their level of understanding for these students to be able to teach geometry adequately.