A Preservice Secondary Teacher's Moves to Protect Her View of Herself as a Mathematics Expert

Julie Stafford Plummer & Blake E. Peterson

This paper discusses the experience of a preservice secondary mathematics teacher during lesson study. Although the preservice teacher was a strong undergraduate mathematics student, she used compensation “moves” to deflect attention away from her insecurities about her conceptual understanding of secondary mathematics. She feared being labeled as “dumb” and redirected conversations in order to protect her identity as a knower of mathematics. This paper investigates the culture in which preservice teachers develop confidence in their personal mathematics knowledge and how that confidence may influence behavior.

A Case Study of Three Children's Original Interpretations of the Moon's Changing Appearance

Jennifer Wilhelm

A case study of three children was conducted to shed light on the process that children undergo in developing their understanding of physical phenomena. Using the notion of spontaneous construction and its relationship with school learning of scientific concepts, children's early thoughts of the moon's appearance were explored. Research questions were primarily concerned with how children view the moon's appearance, explain how and/or why its appearance changes, quantify the moon’s size and its distance to Earth, and explain the moon’s illumination. A Piagetian interview was conducted with each child and then each was asked to tell a story about the moon. The external interest of this research study involves when and why do children develop the commonly held Earth’s shadow alternative conception as the cause of the moon’s phases. The findings show that children have stories and experiences that give meaning to the existence of such things as the moon, stars, sun, and clouds. Similarities were found in the children's interpretations with regard to their natural tendencies to animate celestial objects. Clues were discovered of cultural influence such as family, personal observations and experiences, books, pictures, car travel, and even a strategically placed Palladian window.

Understanding of Earth and Space Science Concepts: Strategies for Concept-Building in Elementary Teacher Preparation

Nermin Bulunuz & Olga S. Jarrett

This research is concerned with preservice teacher understanding of six earth and space science concepts that are often taught in elementary school: the reason for seasons, phases of the moon, why the wind blows, the rock cycle, soil formation, and earthquakes. Specifically, this study examines the effect of readings, hands-on learning stations, and concept mapping in improving conceptual understanding. Undergraduates in two sections of a science methods course (N=52) completed an open-ended survey, giving explanations about the above concepts three times: as a pretest and twice as posttests after various instructional interventions. The answers, scored with a three point rubric, indicated that the preservice teachers initially had many misconceptions (alternative conceptions). A two way ANOVA with repeated measures analysis (pretest/posttest) demonstrated that readings and learning stations are both successful in building preservice teacher’s understanding and that benefits from the hands-on learning stations approached statistical significance. Concept mapping had an additive effect in building understanding, as evident on the second posttest. The findings suggest useful strategies for university science instructors to use in clarifying science concepts while modeling activities teachers can use in their own classrooms.

Using Metaphors as a Tool for Examining Preservice Elementary Teachers' Beliefs About Mathematics Teaching and Learning

Stacy Reeder, Juliana Utley, & Darlinda Cassel

This study used metaphors as a tool to gain insight about preservice teachers' conceptualizations of the role of the teacher and the learner and held the view that the examination of these metaphors might provide an opportunity for teacher educators to reflectively and critically examine those beliefs. Thus, this research examined possible differences in the reflected beliefs of elementary preservice teachers as depicted in their metaphors about mathematics teaching and learning at three different points throughout their mathematics education methods courses. The results of this study indicated that elementary preservice teachers' beliefs primarily remained static throughout their mathematics methods courses despite ongoing experiences designed to challenge and extend those beliefs.