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Shifting Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Mathematics Teaching: the Contextual Situation of a Mathematics Methods Course

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Abstract

For pre-service teachers (PSTs) who have been exposed to traditional approaches, teacher education courses can be a revelatory experience in their development as educators. This study explores if Canadian upper elementary/lower secondary (grades 4–10) PSTs change their beliefs about mathematics teaching as a result of taking a mathematics methods course and how the course influenced these beliefs. Surveys were used to measure participants’ mathematics beliefs, and results show that PSTs’ beliefs moved to favor reform-based approaches. Qualitative data complemented the survey results, suggesting that experiencing new approaches and having the opportunity to apply them into practice are important to their development as mathematics teachers.

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Notes

  1. The program consists of coursework (15 courses in total), a major research paper, and four 4-week practica.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Limin Jao

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Appendix 1: Questions from Mathematics Beliefs Survey (taken from McDougall, 2004)

Appendix 1: Questions from Mathematics Beliefs Survey (taken from McDougall, 2004)

  1. 1.

    The use of technology supports student learning in math.

  2. 2.

    Instead of giving answers, a math teacher should ask questions to get students thinking and to puzzle things out for themselves.

  3. 3.

    Math should be taught through using tactile objects that allow students to experience math in a hands-on way.

  4. 4.

    There is only one correct way to solve a math problem.

  5. 5.

    It is often not very productive for students to work together during math class.

  6. 6.

    It is important to teach math embedded into real-life problems.

  7. 7.

    Assigning questions from a textbook is a good way for students to learn math.

  8. 8.

    Teachers should incorporate all subject areas (math, science, language, etc.) within the same lesson.

  9. 9.

    Teachers should be the ones to explain concepts to students.

  10. 10.

    Paper and pencil tests are the best way to assess student mathematical knowledge.

  11. 11.

    The content of a math unit should be driven by what students want to learn and if of interest to them.

  12. 12.

    It is important for the math classroom to be a quiet space.

  13. 13.

    Not all students are capable of being successful in math.

  14. 14.

    Students need not master basic operations before they tackle complex problems.

  15. 15.

    Students should have a chance to discuss their understanding of concepts with their peers.

  16. 16.

    A lot of math may not be fun or interesting, but it is important to learn anyway.

  17. 17.

    Math learning only happens in the classroom.

  18. 18.

    When working on math problems, the process is more important than the final answer.

  19. 19.

    Open-ended tasks or explorations are not effective in the math classroom.

  20. 20.

    If a student does not know the answer to a problem, the teacher should teach them how to solve it.

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Jao, L. Shifting Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Mathematics Teaching: the Contextual Situation of a Mathematics Methods Course. Int J of Sci and Math Educ 15, 895–914 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-016-9719-9

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