Addressing Prospective Elementary Teachers' Beliefs about the Nature of Mathematics: A Case for Exploring Students' Conceptions of Mathematics in a Math Education Course

Authors

K. Dorgan, Mary Baldwin College

Publication Date

1999

Abstract

Our challenge in preparing Virginia’s K-8 teachers in mathematics is a complex one. Additional requirements, including more challenging math content courses or more innovative pedagogical courses, may provide part of the solution. It is the premise of this paper, however, that additional knowledge and skills are not enough. In order to prepare teachers who will engage in current best practice pedagogy, we must also address teachers’ attitudes and dispositions, their beliefs and conceptions of mathematics itself. This paper will attempt to justify this position. It will also describe strategies used in the Inquiry in Mathematics course in Mary Baldwin’s MAT program intended to elicit and address graduate students’ current, sometimes limited (if not erroneous), notions about what mathematics is really about.

Volume

2

Issue

2

First Page

99

Last Page

103

Rights

© Virginia Mathematics and Science Coalition, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25891/H92N-9245

Recommended Citation

Dorgan, K. (1999) "Addressing Prospective Elementary Teachers' Beliefs about the Nature of Mathematics: A Case for Exploring Students' Conceptions of Mathematics in a Math Education Course," Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations: Vol. 2: No. 2, Article 19.
Available at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jmsce_vamsc/vol2/iss2/19