ERIC Number: EJ1295250
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1442-3901
EISSN: N/A
Pre-Service Teachers as Agents of Change in the Mathematics Classroom: A Case Study
White, Jillian; Johnson, Patrick; Goos, Merrilyn
Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, v23 n1 p54-73 2021
The pre-service teacher followed in this paper aimed to act as an agent of change during a time of reform in Irish secondary mathematics education. A teacher-researcher led action research project was conducted to depict the reality of the situation regarding the implementation of mathematical problem solving from a variety of perspectives-namely those of the pre-service teacher/teacher-researcher, the secondary school students, and the other mathematics teachers in the school. A problem-based approach to teaching and learning was implemented by the pre-service teacher using Van de Walle's teaching through problem solving framework in an attempt by the pre-service teacher to enact change at the classroom level. Following this intervention, participating students showed an improvement in engagement with mathematical problem solving and expressed positive opinions regarding the problem-based approach to teaching and learning. Meanwhile, other mathematics teachers in the school expressed concerns relating to the reality of implementing problem solving in their classrooms; however, these concerns were not issues faced by the author when implementing problem solving in the same setting. When these concerns were indirectly challenged by the preservice teacher a change in conversation occurred.
Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Change Agents, Mathematics Education, Foreign Countries, Problem Solving, Learner Engagement, Problem Based Learning, Secondary School Students, Student Attitudes, Mathematics Instruction, Teacher Attitudes, Barriers, Curriculum Implementation
Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. GPO Box 2747, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia. Tel: +61-8-8363-0288; Fax: +61-8-8362-9288; e-mail: mted@merga.net.au; Web site: https://mted.merga.net.au/index.php/mted/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ireland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A