Abstract
This chapter discusses ways in which the use of interactive technology in a problem-based course that integrates mathematics, science, and technology fosters creativity among future secondary mathematics teachers in their first year in college. The course was built on research-based principles to learn mathematics for understanding. We found that creativity is fostered naturally by teaching mathematics based on those principles. Creativity is fostered, promoted and developed when (a) learners themselves grapple with concepts and make concepts explicit; (b) learners actively build new understanding on previous knowledge; (c) learners engage with mathematics as a social process; (d) learners use multiple representations and connections to enhance their understanding; (e) learners pose and solve problems; and (f) learners exercise multiple modes of learning—when they read, talk, write, draw, analyze, apply, present, and reflect. We discuss the use of technology and issues related to future teachers’ creativity as they solve problems; design experiments and collect, represent, and analyze data; develop mathematical models for phenomena in the physical, biological, and social sciences; and build and program their own robot.
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Acknowledgements
The course discussed in this chapter was funded in part by the National Science Foundation (TUES grant, award number 1140702): Bernhardt, S., Flores, A., Park, J., and Shipman, H. (2012–2016). Integrated Science and Mathematics Education : A Model Course for Pre-Service Teachers. The statements in this chapter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of NSF.
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Flores, A., Park, J., Bernhardt, S.A. (2018). Interactive Technology to Foster Creativity in Future Mathematics Teachers. In: Freiman, V., Tassell, J. (eds) Creativity and Technology in Mathematics Education. Mathematics Education in the Digital Era, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72381-5_6
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