Afbeelding
Ontwikkelen van vakkennis en vakdidactische kennis door Learning Study in de lerarenopleiding wiskunde
Afbeelding
Ontwikkelen van vakkennis en vakdidactische kennis door Learning Study in de lerarenopleiding wiskunde

Developing content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in pre-service mathematics education programmes through Learning Study

Project leader
Dédé de Haan
Duration
January 2021 - April 2026
Domains
Education

In practice, novice teachers often prove to be insufficiently skilled in both content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, despite being given full responsibility for teaching their classes. For pre-service teacher education programs, the challenge lies in preparing student teachers as effectively as possible for this. Learning Study (LgS), a type of Lesson Study grounded in learning theory, appears to offer promising opportunities in this regard. In this PhD-project, we investigate how the (pedagogical) content knowledge of student teachers in pre-service mathematics education for lower secondary can be enhanced through LgS.

What is the motivation behind the project?

One of the primary goals of mathematics education is to challenge students to think critically and reason logically, using the power of mathematics in the process. Achieving this requires skilled mathematics teachers who possess both a solid understanding of the subject matter and sufficient pedagogical content knowledge. These teachers must also have insight into how their students think, enabling them to adapt their teaching methods accordingly and create opportunities for active learning. However, in practice, student teachers and novice teachers often lack adequate pedagogical content knowledge. In a society where teachers are expected to take full responsibility for their own classes from the very start of their careers, it is essential that they enter the profession with a sufficiently high level of both subject-specific and pedagogical expertise. This intervention aims to enhance both content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of student teachers.

What problem does the project address?

During this intervention, conducted within the graduation module "Didactisch Ontwerponderzoek" ("Didactic Design Research") student teachers explore how students in their teaching practice genuinely understand a specific algebraic concept. This understanding is then linked to the critical aspects of the concept to be learned. To accurately interpret students' thinking, the student teachers must also possess a deep understanding of the concept themselves!

Using the Lesson Study method, the student teachers design a lesson focused on the concept in question, employing variation theory—a learning theory based on the premise that one can only learn what something is (and what is characteristic of it) by also understanding what it is not. This research lesson is then implemented, observed, and refined. By connecting theory with practice and delving deeply into the concept to be taught, the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of the student teachers is enhanced.

Project approach

The intervention was implemented during the academic years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 with full-time student teachers at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. The aim was to determine which components of the module contribute in what way to deepening student teachers' content knowledge, their understanding of their students’ mathematical thinking, and their teaching knowledge. This was achieved through the analysis of student teachers' work, and interviews conducted with the student teachers.

In 2023-2024, the intervention was expanded to include mathematics teacher education programs at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and Windesheim University of Applied Sciences in Zwolle. The (pedagogical) content knowledge of students from all three teacher education programs is assessed using a measurement instrument developed for this purpose. This instrument, designed to evaluate (pedagogical) content knowledge, was developed, tested, and validated over the course of the project.

Projectteam

  • Dédé de Haan (PhD Candidate)
  • Prof. dr. Paul Drijvers (Supervisor, Utrecht University)
  • Dr. Siebrich de Vries (Applied Research Professor in Didactics for Subject and Profession, Daily Supervisor, Co-Supervisor)
  • Dr. Gerrit Roorda (Daily Supervisor, Co-Supervisor, University of Groningen)

Main outcomes and results

In 2020-2021, a pilot-study was conducted with a group of part-time mathematics teacher students; the results of this pilot are described in an article published in the Dutch professional journal for mathematics teachers, called Euclides:

The implementation and outcomes of the 2021-2022 intervention is described in an article in Pedagogische Studiën (Open Access), published December 2024:

  • De Haan, D., De Vries, S., Roorda, G., & Drijvers, P. (2024). How can participation in a Learning Study foster prospective teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching? Pedagogische Studiën, 101(3), 184 212. https://doi.org/10.59302/zj1n4787

Project partners

This research is granted by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), in the frame of the Doctoral Grant for Teachers programme, project number 023.016.040. 

Sustainable Development Goals

This project contributes to...