Teacher knowledge and beliefs: challenges and opportunities in low-resource countries

• In Event: Global mathematics education – teacher learning and support, part 1: exploring teacher knowledge

Abstract

There is wide recognition internationally that a teacher’s ability to support student learning in mathematics depends on the teacher’s own general pedagogical, content, and pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1987). In addition, teachers’ beliefs about mathematics and how children learn mathematics, as well as their own confidence and sense of self-efficacy in mathematics impact instruction (Campbell et al, 2014). In many contexts, teachers may not have a strong understanding of mathematics and may see mathematics as a subject of rote procedures and memorization. They are also likely to have beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning that run counter to the goals that are now being set for mathematics education (Schwille, J. & Dembélé, M, 2007), which emphasize conceptual understanding and adaptive reasoning in addition to procedural fluency. This paper will review and present research on challenges related to teachers knowledge in low-resource country contexts, as well as approaches that appear to hold promise for overcoming some of these challenges.

Author

• Wendi Ralaingita, RTI International