Teachers’ understanding of mathematical cognition in childhood: towards a shift in pedagogical content knowledge?

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dc.contributor.authorHenning, Elizabeth
dc.date.accessioned2016-07-21T09:30:38Z
dc.date.available2016-07-21T09:30:38Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractThis article about the discourse of pedagogy as related to child cognition in mathematics addresses the issue of what constitutes the main disciplinary content and the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of foundation-phase teachers. I argue that, unless child cognition itself is the primary disciplinary content of foundationphase teachers’ knowledge, it is likely that they will couch their pedagogical knowledge in teaching methods and materials more than in knowledge of conceptual development of learners and how such knowledge relates to teaching. In this first of a series of case studies, workshop-generated conversational and interview data were analysed qualitatively for discourse. The topics for the workshops were mathematical cognition and training in standardised test administration. The analysis showed that the discourse of teachers’ expressed knowledge about their practice was embedded in the language of policy, curriculum, teaching methods of mathematics, and the omniscience of the annual national assessments (ANAs) in South Africa, with very few discourse markers representing knowledge of child cognition. During the course of the intervention, teachers gradually shifted their talk, expressing some understanding of trends in contemporary developmental cognitive psychology and neuroscience of mathematical cognition. The article recommends a stronger cognitive science focus in teacher professional development initiatives.en_ZA
dc.description.versionPublisher's versionen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationHenning, E. (2013). Teachers' understanding of mathematical cognition in childhood: towards a shift in pedagogical content knowledge?. Perspectives in Education: Primary mathematics: addressing the crisis, 31(3), 139-154.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0258-2236 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2519-593X (online)
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11660/3701
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherFaculty of Education, University of the Free Stateen_ZA
dc.rights.holderFaculty of Education, University of the Free Stateen_ZA
dc.subjectEducational neuroscienceen_ZA
dc.subjectPedagogical content knowledgeen_ZA
dc.subjectMathematical cognitionen_ZA
dc.subjectChildhood educationen_ZA
dc.subjectTeacher educationen_ZA
dc.subjectElementary school educationen_ZA
dc.subjectFoundation-phase educationen_ZA
dc.subjectConceptual changeen_ZA
dc.subjectTeacher developmenten_ZA
dc.subjectConstructivismen_ZA
dc.titleTeachers’ understanding of mathematical cognition in childhood: towards a shift in pedagogical content knowledge?en_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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PiE 2013 Volume 31 Issue 3