ERIC Number: EJ1094137
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Apr
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1386-4416
EISSN: N/A
Reflective Analysis as a Tool for Task Redesign: The Case of Prospective Elementary Teachers Solving and Posing Fraction Comparison Problems
Thanheiser, Eva; Olanoff, Dana; Hillen, Amy; Feldman, Ziv; Tobias, Jennifer M.; Welder, Rachael M.
Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, v19 n2-3 p123-148 Apr 2016
Mathematical task design has been a central focus of the mathematics education research community over the last few years. In this study, six university teacher educators from six different US institutions formed a community of practice to explore key aspects of task design (planning, implementing, reflecting, and modifying) in the context of comparing fractions using reasoning and sense-making. By presenting results of their implementation of two tasks with 63 prospective elementary teachers across three institutions and their reflective analysis of the implementation, the authors highlight the importance of collecting and analyzing data and reflecting on this analysis to inform the redesign of tasks. The authors also found that considering different types of tasks (problem solving vs. problem posing) helps illuminate different aspects of prospective elementary teachers' understanding, which can inform task redesign. Finally the authors contribute to the knowledge base on reasoning strategies for comparing fractions and prospective elementary teachers' knowledge of these strategies.
Descriptors: Mathematics, Mathematics Instruction, Elementary School Teachers, Elementary School Mathematics, Problem Solving, Fractions, Preservice Teachers, Teacher Educators, Communities of Practice, Data Collection, Data Analysis, Comparative Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A