Teacher preparation programs and calculator pedagogy
| dc.contributor.advisor | Matteson, Shirley M. | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Price, Margaret A. | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Dwyer, Jerry F. | |
| dc.creator | Farmer, Philena J | |
| dc.creator.orcid | 0000-0003-3908-0258 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2016-10-04T19:57:46Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2016-10-04T19:57:46Z | |
| dc.date.created | 2016-08 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2016-07-15 | |
| dc.date.submitted | August 2016 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2016-10-04T19:57:46Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics wrote a position paper in 1987 in which they called for changes in instructional methods including using technology in the classroom. Almost three decades later, research of calculator usage in general has revealed that the main factor restricting student calculator use was the teacher. Either, teachers were not adequately trained in the technology or the teachers feared that the use of the calculator would increase mathematical illiteracy. This study determined what institutions with certified teacher preparation programs were requiring graduates to complete the necessary courses to rectify this situation. Data for this heuristic case study was obtained from six middle level and six secondary level teacher certification institutions. All 12 institutions were certified by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Six of the 12 institutions (three each of the middle level and secondary level) were also certified by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. During this study, two main questions guided the research: What do mathematics teacher educators believe about the use of calculators in the classroom? and How do mathematics teacher educators use methods courses to prepare pre-service teachers to use calculators to develop sound pedagogy? The answers were found through a qualitative case study which made use of telephone interviews for much of the information. Due to the stipulation of using only institutions in Praxis® states, no institutions from my home state of Texas could be used. This same stipulation meant that most of the institutions in the study were beyond my reach except through telephone interviews. Regarding the first question of “What do mathematics teacher educators believe about the use of calculators in the classroom?” the findings drawn from the information provided by teacher educators who participated in this study was that in general, teacher educators believed that the students’ use of calculators is unavoidable; however, the educating of a pre-service teacher to use calculators efficiently for pedagogical purposes has issues that need to be addressed. Regarding the second question of the study of “How do mathematics teacher educators use methods courses to prepare pre-service teachers to use calculators to develop sound pedagogy?”, the findings drawn from the information provided by teacher educators who participated in this study was that pre-service teachers had little opportunity to develop pedagogical skills with calculators. The process standards listed by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics include problem solving, reasoning, communications, connections, and representations. In each case, calculators can be used to enhance students’ understanding of mathematics. For example, to solve real world problems, students must be able to use the representations they are furnished to determine a reasonable solution and communicate that solution across many subjects. Calculators can facilitate students seeing multiple representations of the same information, which benefits their overall understanding of a concept. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics should re-examine the Principles and Standards of School Mathematics and other documents to ensure that they appropriately reflect 21st century learners’ needs. Furthermore, it would be prudent for National Council of Teachers of Mathematics to support the use of age appropriate calculators and provide more specific guidelines for implementation of technologies such as calculators for each grade level. Based upon the findings of this study, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Preparation in granting certification of teaching programs, should also have a process in place to ensure that certified institutions adequately address the preparation of pre-service teachers in regard to teaching technologies such as calculators. Examining syllabi for mathematics methods classes would be an important first step. Teacher preparation institutions and programs, no matter whether traditional in nature or those alternative in nature, would benefit by being cognizant of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics principles and standards and work to ensure mathematics educators center methods coursework on these principles and standards. Furthermore, teacher preparation institutions and programs should support education departments and mathematics departments working in tandem to prepare pre-service mathematics teachers to face the challenges of preparing the next generation of students to be successful in a world that is becoming more competitive globally. | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2346/68054 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.rights.availability | Unrestricted. | |
| dc.subject | Calculators | |
| dc.subject | Pedagogy | |
| dc.subject | NCTM principles | |
| dc.subject | Pre-service teachers | |
| dc.title | Teacher preparation programs and calculator pedagogy | |
| dc.type | Dissertation | |
| dc.type.material | text | |
| thesis.degree.department | Curriculum and Instruction | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Curriculum and Instruction | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Texas Tech University | |
| thesis.degree.level | Doctoral | |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy |