Relationships Between Representation Types, Quality, and Grade-Level Whole Number Topics Taught

• In Event: Improving Elementary Math Teachers' Work

Abstract

While the appropriate use of mathematical representations is assumed to be shaped by the nature of mathematics topics, elementary preservice teachers are often expected to develop effective representations for teaching mathematics in general. Drawing on video-taped teaching data from n=90 elementary preservice teachers, this study examined the relationship between the types and quality of representations and the grade-level whole number topics that elementary preservice teachers taught in their practicum classrooms. Determining the quality of representations based on their alignment to discrete and continuous mathematics models, and their explicit connections to concepts and procedures being taught, it found that while the overall quality of preservice teachers’ representations was high, the types and quality of their representations varied across multiple grade-levels topics.

Authors

• Raymond Flores, Texas Tech University

• Jian Wang, Texas Tech University

• Minju Yi, Texas Tech University

• Andrea Rodriguez, Texas Tech University

• Sarah Short, Texas Tech University

• Yvonne Casares Khan, Texas Tech University