Posts tagged "articles":

Literature review on discussion

It has been a while since ICME-14, but the proceedings have now finally been published. In volume II, among the invited lectures, is my review of literature on discussion in mathematics teaching. Based on a systematic search in Eric, and on searches in major journals of mathematics education, I reviewed 72 peer-reviewed articles on discussion in mathematics teaching, which were published between 2000 and 2020. Below is the abstract:

For decades, reformers have emphasized discussion over recitation and lecture. Yet, traditional communication patterns are still dominant in mathematics classrooms internationally. In an effort to better understand this challenge, the present study investigates patterns and contributions of research on discussion in mathematics teaching. Based on systematic search in the Eric database, and in selected journals of mathematics education, 72 studies were reviewed. Based on analysis and discussion of the reviewed studies, it is suggested to develop conceptual clarity and include definitions of core terms like discussion, to consider alternative methods for studying discussion in teaching, and to consider shifting the focus from teacher actions to the entailments of the work of leading mathematical discussions.

The citation to the paper is:

Mosvold, R. (2024). Research on discussion in mathematics teaching: A review of literature from 2000 to 2020. In J. Wang (Ed.), Proceedings of the 14th International Congress on Mathematical Education (Volume II: Invited Lectures), (pp. 473–488). World Scientific Publishing House. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811287183_0032

Report from TWG19 in EMS Magazine

The European Mathematical Society (EMS) Magazine has a column with news from the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (ERME). In the upcoming issue, this column contains a brief report of the activities from Thematic Working Group 19 (TWG19), on Mathematics Teaching and Teacher Practice(s), which I am leading. In this report, you can read about the focus of our working group—and how it is positioned in the field of research on mathematics teaching—the history of the group, and current efforts in the group. If you are interested in research on mathematics teaching, or in learning more about the work in our group, I recommend reading this brief paper!

Article on mathematics teacher educators' conceptions of MKT

Some articles take longer than others to publish. I have recently published a new article in Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (Hoover et al., 2023). We started working on this study when I had my sabbatical in Michigan in 2017–2018, so this one has been in the making for a long time. Matt and I spent a lot of time with the initial analyses and work, then Mark came along and took a leader role in the study, and Imani joined the team a bit later. After I moved back to Norway in August 2018, the three of us had weekly Zoom meetings where we worked on analysis and later writing for a long time. Along the way, we developed, presented and published two CERME papers on preliminary parts of this work (Dahlgren et al., 2019, 2022). It is therefore a great pleasure to finally see the finished article in print! You can find the abstract of the article below:

Recent scholarship has explored mathematical demands faced by mathematics teacher educators and ways to support their development, but little attention has been given to the basic question of how mathematics teacher educators think about content knowledge for teaching. Knowing what they think could inform efforts to support them. Our analysis reveals that some think about mathematical knowledge for teaching as an independent, abstracted resource to be taught and learned in relative isolation from teaching, while others think about it as dynamic, situated work. We argue that this key difference matters for how they work with teachers. Further, our analysis reveals that their thinking about both teaching and justice interacts with their thinking about mathematical knowledge for teaching and that their thinking in these other two domains can be a resource for supporting their mathematical development.

Time outs as site for studying MKT

I have recently published a new article entitled, “Teacher time out as a site for studying mathematical knowledge for teaching” with my colleagues Kjersti Wæge and Janne Fauskanger. The article is going to be published in an upcoming special issue of The Journal of Mathematical Behavior, but it is already available online (open access). This article developed from an ICME-paper we presented at the recent ICME 14. In this article, we develop a theoretical argument for why and how “teacher time outs” might be an interesting site for studying mathematical knowledge for teaching. The article draws on illustrative data from the Mastering Ambitious Mathematics teaching (MAM) project. A link to the Norwegian project web site can be found here. Below is the abstract of our article and full reference in APA format. I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as we enjoyed writing it!

The special mathematical knowledge that is needed for teaching has been studied for decades but the methods for studying it have challenges. Some methods, such as measurement and cognitive interviews, are removed from the dynamics of teaching. Other methods, such as observation, are closer to practice but mostly involve an outsider perspective. Moreover, few methods tap into the tacit and often invisible demands that teachers encounter in teaching. This article develops an argument that teacher time outs in rehearsals and enactments might be a productive site for studying mathematical knowledge for teaching. Teacher time outs constitute a site for professional deliberation, which 1) preserves the complexity and gets inside the dynamics of teaching, where 2) tacit and implicit challenges and demands are made explicit, and where 3) insider and outsider perspectives are combined.

Dilemmas of mathematics teaching

A little while ago, Fraser Gobede and I co-authored an article entitled, “Studying dilemmas of mathematics teaching in Southern Africa”. This article was inspired by the works of scholars like Magdalene Lampert and Deborah Ball. Instead of focusing on how well teachers perform, or what knowledge teachers have (or are lacking), these scholars investigate the work of teaching mathematics and its entailments. In the article we focus on the concept of “dilemmas”, which Magdalene Lampert wrote about several decades ago. She considered the teacher as a “dilemma-manager” and aimed at understanding the dilemmas that teachers were faced with in their teaching of mathematics.

In this article, we develop an argument about the promise of focusing on dilemmas of teaching mathematics in the Southern African context, where there tends to be a strong focus on what knowledge teachers are lacking, and many studies have a deficit view of teachers. We suggest that shifting the focus toward identifying and exploring dilemmas of mathematics teaching may provide a more productive approach. Below is the abstract of our article:

Background: Learners in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are underperforming in important subjects such as mathematics, and research in these contexts tends to focus on the lack of resources, insufficient teacher knowledge or poor quality in teaching as explanatory factors. This study has taken a different approach.

Aim: The study aimed at exploring how analysis of dilemmas that teachers encounter in the work of teaching mathematics may provide a productive approach to studying mathematics teaching in the African context.

Setting: The study was conducted in a rural Malawian Grade 1 classroom, where a teacher was teaching arithmetical notation to young learners.

Methods: A case study approach was applied, and data were gathered through video observations and interviews. Inductive analysis of observation data was applied to identify and unpack dilemmas of mathematics teaching.

Results: Two inherent dilemmas of the complex work of teaching mathematics have been identified and discussed. One dilemma was to decide when and how to present arithmetical notations in different modalities without losing the mathematical meaning. A second dilemma was to decide how to deal with unexpected learner errors while maintaining the planned focus of the lesson.

Conclusion: Considering dilemmas of teaching shifts the emphasis from evaluating the teacher to understanding and developing shared understanding of teaching as professional practice.

Contribution: The suggested shift in focus acknowledges the challenges of the local context without reverting to deficit views, and it contributes to developing a shared professional language.

New review article published

I have recently published a review of research on mathematical knowledge for teaching in Africa. The full title of the article is “Mathematical knowledge for teaching in Africa 2014–2021: A review of literature”, and the article is published in African Journal of Teacher Education and Development.

The article provides a systematic review of research, and the entire review process (including search criteria, coding, and analysis) is available in a public Github repository: https://github.com/rmosvold/mkt-africa

Below is the structured abstract of the review article:

Background: A previous review of literature on mathematical knowledge for teaching in Africa indicated that most studies were small, qualitative studies that did not apply existing measures. The present literature review explores trends in more recent research from 2014 to 2021.

Aim: The aim of the literature review is to investigate trends in peer-reviewed journal articles on mathematical knowledge for teaching in Africa from 2014 to 2021.

Setting: A literature review of research on mathematical knowledge for teaching in Africa between 2014–2021.

Methods: After a three-step search and initial coding, 24 studies were included in the review. Studies were coded in terms of genre, type of study, research problem, sample size, instruments, level and experience of teachers, location of the study and frameworks applied.

Results: As compared with the previous literature review, there was variation in sample size, genre of the studies, as well as in the level and experience of participating teachers, and this indicates a field in positive development. Yet, there is a significant geographical lack of balance, as most studies were conducted in South Africa. In addition, there is a predominance of studies that investigate what knowledge teachers have, and many studies provide a deficit view of teachers’ lack of knowledge.

Conclusion: Based on the trends in the studies reviewed, a shift in focus from teachers and their (lack of) knowledge to the knowledge demands of teaching is suggested.

Contribution: An emphasis on exploring what is involved in teaching mathematics in African contexts might provide a productive turn in research that would be of international interest and significance.