Department of Mathematics Colloquium

University of Idaho

Spring 2012

Thursday,  February 2, 3:30-4:20 pm, room TLC 032

Refreshments in Brink 305 at 4:30 pm

Teacher Knowledge and Practice: Defining It, Influencing It, and “Seeing” It

 

David Yopp


Department of Mathematical Sciences

Montana State University



Abstract

This talk will give an overview of efforts to characterize the mathematics knowledge needed for teaching and its influences by examining three stages of research: how the needed knowledge is identified, how efforts to improve teacher knowledge are studied, and the relationship between teacher mathematics knowledge and actual practice. The talk will begin with a discussion of how a teacher’s limited understanding of real number can limit a teacher’s ability to navigate repeated decimal confusions that may arise in elementary classrooms, and move to a discussion of efforts to improve teacher knowledge and practice through mathematics coaching. The talk will end with a discussion of challenges researchers face when attempting to relate measures of teacher knowledge to actual classroom practice.