A new angle: a teacher’s transformation of mathematics teaching practice and engagement in quantitative reasoning

ABSTRACT

We present a case study of an elementary teacher, Jen, who transformed her mathematics teaching practice and deepened her conception of angle measure. Employing Teacher Development Experiment methodology, rooted in a constructivist perspective of learning, we analysed sets of pre/post interviews and classroom observations, for two lessons on angle measure, occurring one year apart. In between, Jen participated in a year-long, school-wide professional development intervention, to support teachers’ enactment of conceptual mathematics instruction and foster students’ multiplicative and fractional reasoning. Jen transformed her vision and rationale for teaching mathematics, her interpretations of students’ mathematical knowing, and her view of what constitutes evidence of mathematical learning. In conjunction, she deepened her knowledge of angle measure, engaging in quantitative reasoning and conceptualising angles as quantities. We discuss implications for supporting teachers to transform their mathematics teaching practice via fostering shifts in their goals for instruction and growth in their mathematical understanding.

KEYWORDS:

• Teaching and learning
• quantitative reasoning
• geometry

Acknowledgement

Opinions and conclusions are those of the authors. This study was supported in part by a grant from the Office of Research Services at the University of Colorado Denver.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Grant DRL-1503206; Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings.