ERIC Number: EJ1046495
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Dec
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1571-0068
EISSN: N/A
Good Mathematics Teaching from Mexican High School Students' Perspective
Martinez-Sierra, Gustavo
International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, v12 n6 p1547-1573 Dec 2014
This paper reports a qualitative research that identifies the characteristics of good mathematics teaching from the perspective of Mexican high school students. For this purpose, the social representations of a good mathematics teacher and a good mathematics class were identified in a group of 67 students. In order to obtain information, a questionnaire was applied with open questions and focus groups with three or four students were organized. The answers to the questionnaire were analyzed by locating categories that consolidate a specific social representation. The information collected in the focus groups contributed to shedding light on the meaning of the words, phrases, and notions of common-sense knowledge used by the students. The students consider a good teacher to be someone with knowledge and who knows how to transmit the knowledge; someone who provides a step-by-step explanation and does not leave doubts in the minds of the students; someone who is patient/comprehensive and someone who does not make classes tedious/boring; someone who teaches in a simple and fun way, and arouses interest in students. In a good mathematics class, you are not bored, you learn; there are good, varied explanations and lots of exercises and students participations.
Descriptors: High School Students, Mathematics Instruction, Teaching Methods, Instructional Effectiveness, Qualitative Research, Questionnaires, Focus Groups, Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance, Teacher Competencies, Best Practices, Student Surveys, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Teacher Effectiveness, Beliefs, Values, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Mexico
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A