Department of Mathematics

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Browsing Department of Mathematics by Author "Alexander, Anita N."

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    “Books i used as a child were mathematically incorrect”: reasons to use children’s shape-related books as a resource to improve mathematical knowledge for teaching
    (Modestum Publishing Ltd., 2021-04-05) Alexander, Anita N.; Nurnberger-Haag, Julie; Singh, Rashmi; Wernet, Jamie L. W.
    Some goals of mathematics teacher education include ensuring that pre-service teachers (PSTs) have strong content knowledge, the skill to anticipate and interpret student thinking, the ability to plan how to respond, and the ability to critically select resources for instruction. These goals are especially challenging for the topic of geometric shapes. Thus, we share an instructional activity that focuses PSTs’ attention on an inaccurate resource of geometric information, children’s books, to accomplish these goals in mathematics content as well as methods courses. Analyses of surveys and content assessments conducted to assess efficacy of the Shape Book Critique Activity were interpreted with the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) framework. Based on the findings we suggest that this short 40-minute activity is a promising way to promote PSTs’ growth in three aspects of MKT for geometric shapes.
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    Essential program features identified by students working toward a doctorate in mathematics education
    (The International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 2024-07-21) Courtney, Scott A.; Alexander, Anita N.
    What are the essential components of a doctorate program in mathematics education or didactics of mathematics concerning research, coursework, seminars, and collaboration? The purpose of this study was to learn from doctoral students across the world about how their programs in mathematics education are preparing them for research and teaching in mathematics education; how their programs provide academic research and writing support; and what they view as missing from their experiences. Online surveys, along with follow-up interviews from a subset of survey respondents, indicated that doctoral students from 17 different countries stressed the importance of international collaboration, examining fundamental theories of learning mathematics, and identified a need for more support with academic writing. © 2024, Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME). All rights reserved.