Deploying Problems Assessing Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching as Tasks for Professional Preparation

• In Event: Research on Issues in Teacher Education and Teacher Practice

Abstract

Mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) has been shown to be a measurable construct impacting instructional quality and student outcomes. The primary examples that educators have for MKT problems are those whose solutions were validated as capturing MKT and that were designed for assessment purposes. It is not known to what extent features of a problem that support its use as assessment may support or hinder its use in instruction. We examine this tension by studying the use of three such MKT problems in a course for prospective teachers. Key considerations for using MKT problems in professional preparation tasks were how the MKT problem represents teaching practice and the possible purposes of using that representation in teacher education.

Authors

• Yvonne Lai, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Heather Howell, ETS