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Knowing and Identity: A Situated Theory of Mathematics Knowledge in Teaching

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Mathematical Knowledge in Teaching

Part of the book series: Mathematics Education Library ((MELI,volume 50))

Abstract

This chapter outlines a theoretical understanding of mathematics teachers’ subject knowledge as situated, exemplifying this with empirical data. A key work in defining the situated approach to knowledge is Lave and Wenger’s 1991 monograph. Whilst this work largely considered learning in informal settings outside formal education, it has nevertheless been influential in mathematics education. Surprisingly, however, given this interest within mathematics education, there has been little attention from this perspective to issues of mathematics teacher knowledge. Recognising the situated nature of mathematics knowledge suggests that focusing exclusively on mathematics knowledge in isolation from the classroom context is unlikely to be effective. The resulting implications for teaching and teacher education are outlined and discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Alexandra is a pseudonym.

  2. 2.

    This drew on previous work at King’s (Askew et al., 1997), which in turn drew on a range of sources. An item on division of fractions, \(1\frac{3}{4}\div \frac{1}{2}\), for example, was drawn from Ball (1990) work and is also discussed in Ma (1999).

  3. 3.

    My evidence here is partly based on my own observations and partly based on evidence gathered for the Leverhulme Numeracy Research Programme, an extensive 5-year longitudinal study of primary mathematics covering the period of the introduction of the NNS and the appointment of Numeracy Consultants (Millett, Brown, & Askew, 2004b).

  4. 4.

    I recognize that there are a number of educational systems internationally (e.g. in Israel) in which there are specialists teachers of elementary mathematics. Nevertheless, the generalist remains the norm.

  5. 5.

    Not all secondary teachers of mathematics are mathematically trained, of course. In England, for example, a significant proportion of them have weak mathematics qualifications, particularly those teaching lower secondary mathematics (Johnston-Wilder et al., 2003).

  6. 6.

    See Saunders (1999) for an example in which a professional mathematician rejects the pedagogical distinction between fractions as operators and quantities as “playing tricks” (p. 3) and indicative of the de-professionalisation of teachers.

  7. 7.

    See, for example, Lave and Wenger’s (1991) rather brief and simplistic critique of school education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education and Professional Studies, King’s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building (Waterloo Bridge Wing), London, SE1 9NH, UK

    Jeremy Hodgen

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  1. Jeremy Hodgen
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Correspondence to Jeremy Hodgen .

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  1. Fac. Education, University of Cambridge, Hills Road 184, Cambridge, CB2 2PQ, United Kingdom

    Tim Rowland

  2. Fac. Education, University of Cambridge, Hills Road 184, Cambridge, CB2 2PQ, United Kingdom

    Kenneth Ruthven

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Hodgen, J. (2011). Knowing and Identity: A Situated Theory of Mathematics Knowledge in Teaching. In: Rowland, T., Ruthven, K. (eds) Mathematical Knowledge in Teaching. Mathematics Education Library, vol 50. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9766-8_3

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