Perspectives on pre-service teacher knowledge for teaching early algebra
Loading...
Date
2013
Authors
McAuliffe, Sharon
Lubben, Fred
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Education, University of the Free State
Abstract
This paper examines a pre-service teacher’s content knowledge for teaching early
algebra from two perspectives, i.e. using Rowland’s Knowledge Quartet theory
and Ball’s framework for Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKfT). The study
intends to examine the differences between the inferences using each framework
and to reflect on how they may help us to better understand the knowledge needed
for teaching early algebra. Both perspectives are used to interpret selected episodes
from a videoed Grade 3 patterns lesson. The findings show that the two perspectives
are simultaneously complementary and distinct in both purpose and outcomes. The
Knowledge Quartet identifies and describes ways in which the teacher’s content
knowledge for teaching is enacted in the classroom including those aspects that need
reinforcement. The MKfT scheme identifies situations and tasks in teaching where
content knowledge emerges including instances where a broader base of knowledge
for teaching is required. The results of the analysis show how each perspective
emphasises different aspects of teacher content knowledge and, together, provide
a more holistic account of what happens in developing knowledge for teaching
patterns. They highlight the difficulty for teachers in helping learners to shift from
focusing solely on number pattern to a simultaneous focus on function, a transition
central to the teaching of early algebra.
Description
Keywords
Pre-service teacher, Knowledge Quartet theory, Framework for Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching, Early algebra
Citation
McAuliffe, S., & Lubben, F. (2013). Perspectives on pre-service teacher knowledge for teaching early algebra. Perspectives in Education: Primary mathematics: addressing the crisis, 31(3), 155-169.