Considering the roles of Mathematics specialist teachers in grade 6-8 classrooms

Karen E. Junqueira; Kathleen T. Nolan

Full Text (PDF)

Karen E. Junqueira, Kathleen T. Nolan

More Detail

Abstract

This paper is part of a larger study focusing on the perceptions of five different stakeholder groups about the role of a specialist teacher in the teaching of Mathematics in grades 6-9. Using a research questionnaire, the perceptions of 21 pre-service Mathematics teachers (13 Canadian and 8 South African) regarding whether they would consider becoming a Mathematics specialist teacher and what they considered to be the benefits and shortcomings of Mathematics specialist teachers, were obtained. It is on these perceptions (both the positive and negative ends of the spectrum relating to the use of Mathematics specialist teachers in grades 6-9) that the paper reports. The data indicate how our pre-service teachers think about their future careers as teachers and how they, even as students, take into consideration particular aspects that may benefit or hinder their teaching.

Keywords

Empowerment of teachers
in-depth Mathematics subject knowledge
Mathematics education
Mathematics specialist teacher
multiple teaching strategies
pre-service teacher perspectives

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, Volume 11, Issue 4, 2016, 975-989

Publication date: 20 Jul 2016

Article Views: 3434

Article Downloads: 5189

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Ardzejewska, K., McMaugh, A., & Coutts, P. (2010). Delivering the primary curriculum: The use of subject specialist and generalist teachers in NSW. Issues in Educational Research, 20(3), 203-219.
Attard, C. (2013). “If I had to pick any subject, it wouldn’t be maths”: Foundations for engagement with mathematics during the middle years. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 25, 569-587.
Aubrey, C. (Ed.) (1994). The role of subject knowledge in the early years of schooling. Bristol, PA: Falmer Press.
Aubrey, R. (2006). Learner and teacher perceptions of preparation in mathematics in middle school and its impact on learners’ self-efficacy and performance in an upper school in Western Australia. School of Education Murdoch University.
Barnes, Y., & Solomon, Y. (2014). Empowering teachers as learners: Continuing professional learning programmes as sites for critical development in pedagogical practice. In O. McNamara (Ed.), Workplace learning in teacher education (pp. 137-150). Dordrecht: Springer.
Blount, D., & Singleton, J. (2007). The role and impact of the mathematics specialist from the principals’ perspective. The Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations, 9, 69-77.
Brown, T., McNamara, O., Hanley, U., & Jones, L. (1999). Primary student teachers’ understanding of mathematics and its teaching. British Educational Research Journal, 25(3), 299-322.
Campbell, P., Ellington, A., Haver, W., & Inge, V. (Editors) (2013). The elementary mathematics specialist’s handbook. Reston, VA: NCTM.
Clarkson, P. (2015). Who teaches middle school mathematics? A crucial factor in the quality of students learning mathematics. Australian Mathematics Teacher (AMT), 71(3), 22-24.
Donaldson, G., Field, J., Harries, D., Tope, C., & Taylor, H. (2012). Becoming a primary mathematics specialist teacher. New York: Routledge.
Gerretson, H., Bosnick, J., & Schofield, K. (2008). Promising practice: A case for content specialists as the elementary classroom teacher. The Teacher Educator, 43(4), 302-314.
Golafshani, N. (2013). Teachers’ beliefs and teaching mathematics with manipulatives. Canadian Journal of Education, 36(3), 137-159.
Hart, L., & Swars, S. (2009). The lived experiences of elementary prospective teachers in mathematics content coursework, Teacher Development, 13:2, 159-172.
Hill, L. (1997). Just tell me the rule: Learning to teach elementary mathematics. Journal of Teacher Education, 48(3), 211-221.
Hodgen, J., & Askew, M. (2007). Emotion, identity and teacher learning: Becoming a primary mathematics teacher. Oxford Review of Education, 33(4), 469-487.
Li, Y. (2008). Mathematical preparation of elementary school teachers: generalist versus content specialists. School Science and Mathematics, 108(5), 169-172.
Lowery, N. V. (2002). Construction of teacher knowledge in context: Preparing elementary teachers to teach mathematics and science. School Science and Mathematics, 102(2), 68-83.
Lum, S. (1977). Meeting mathematical needs in the middle grades. The Arithmetic Teacher, 24(3), 233-237.
Miller, D. L. (1992). Preparing elementary mathematics-science teaching specialists. The Arithmetic Teacher, 40(4), 228-231.
Newton, X. (2007). Reflections on math reforms in the U.S.: A cross-national perspective. The Phi Delta Kappan, 88(9), 681-685.
Nolan, K. (2010). Playing the field(s) of mathematics education: A teacher educator’s journey into pedagogical and paradoxical possibilities. In M. Walshaw (Ed.), Unpacking pedagogy: New perspectives for mathematics classrooms (pp. 153-173). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Nolan, K. (2012). Dispositions in the field: Viewing mathematics teacher education through the lens of Bourdieu’s social field theory. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 80, 201–215.
Reys, B., & Fennell, F. (2003). Who should lead mathematics instruction at the elementary school level? A case for mathematics specialists. Teaching Children Mathematics, 9(5), 277-282.
Schmidt, W. H., Blömeke, S., & Tatto, M. T. (2011). Teacher education matters: A study of middle school mathematics teacher preparation in six countries. New York: Teachers College Press.
Sowder, J., Philipp, R., Armstrong, B., & Schappelle, B. (1998). Middle-grade teachers’ mathematical knowledge and its relationship to instruction: A research monograph. New York: State University of New York.
Sullivan, P. (2011). Identifying and describing the knowledge needed by teachers of mathematics. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 14, 171-174.
Switzer, J. M. (2010). Bridging the math gap. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 15(7), 400-405.
Tait-McCutcheon, S., Drake, M., & Sherley, B. (2010). From direct instruction to active construction: teaching and learning basic facts. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 23, 321- 345.
Wilkins, J. (2010). Elementary school teachers’ attitudes toward different subjects. The Teacher Educator, 45(1), 23-36.

How to cite this article

APA

Junqueira, K. E., & Nolan, K. T. (2016). Considering the roles of Mathematics specialist teachers in grade 6-8 classrooms. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 11(4), 975-989.

Vancouver

Junqueira KE, Nolan KT. Considering the roles of Mathematics specialist teachers in grade 6-8 classrooms. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2016;11(4):975-89.

AMA

Junqueira KE, Nolan KT. Considering the roles of Mathematics specialist teachers in grade 6-8 classrooms. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2016;11(4), 975-989.

Chicago

Junqueira, Karen E., and Kathleen T. Nolan. "Considering the roles of Mathematics specialist teachers in grade 6-8 classrooms". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education 2016 11 no. 4 (2016): 975-989.

Harvard

Junqueira, K. E., and Nolan, K. T. (2016). Considering the roles of Mathematics specialist teachers in grade 6-8 classrooms. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 11(4), pp. 975-989.

MLA

Junqueira, Karen E. et al. "Considering the roles of Mathematics specialist teachers in grade 6-8 classrooms". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, vol. 11, no. 4, 2016, pp. 975-989.