Growing Scholarly Teachers and Educational Researchers: A Curriculum for a Research Pathway in Pre-Service Teacher Education

This paper advocates the development of high-level research capability in some students in their undergraduate Bachelor of Education course. The rationale for this viewpoint is presented in relation to three questions: "What is educational research?" "Why should universities develop high-level research capability in some preservice teacher education graduates?" and "What type of curriculum can support the development of high-level research capability in some preservice teacher education graduates?" The first two questions are addressed broadly. The latter question is addressed with reference to an existing Research Pathway within a Bachelor of Education course. The paper concludes with the identification of a priority issue for subsequent iterations of the Pathway and a reflection on the shift in my role as a teacher in this Pathway from ‘teacher researcher’ to ‘scholarly teacher’

An instrument for assessing primary students' knowledge of information graphics in mathematics

Information graphics have become increasingly important in representing, organising and analysing information in a technological age. In classroom contexts, information graphics are typically associated with graphs, maps and number lines. However, all students need to become competent with the broad range of graphics that they will encounter in mathematical situations. This paper provides a rationale for creating a test to measure students’ knowledge of graphics. This instrument can be used in mass testing and individual (in-depth) situations. Our analysis of the utility of this instrument informs policy and practice. The results provide an appreciation of the relative difficulty of different information graphics; and provide the capacity to benchmark information about students’ knowledge of graphics. The implications for practice include the need to support the development of students’ knowledge of graphics, the existence of gender differences, the role of cross-curriculum applications in learning about graphics, and the need to explicate the links among graphics

Primary students' spatial visualization and spatial orientation: an evidence base for instruction

This paper reports on the performance of 58 11 to 12-year-olds on a spatial visualization task and a spatial orientation task. The students completed these tasks and explained their thinking during individual interviews. The qualitative data were analysed to inform pedagogical content knowledge for spatial activities. The study revealed that “matching” or “matching and eliminating” were the typical strategies that students employed on these spatial tasks. However, errors in making associations between parts of the same or different shapes were noted. Students also experienced general difficulties with visual memory and language use to explain their thinking. The students’ specific difficulties in spatial visualization related to obscured items, the perspective used, and the placement and orientation of shapes

The Difficulties Students Experience in Generating Diagrams for Novel Problems

Although "draw a diagram" is advocated as a useful problem-solving strategy, generating an appropriate diagram is problematic for many students. This case study explored primary-aged students’ difficulties in generating diagrams for novel problems. Three categories of difficulties were identified: (1) non-use of diagrams; (2) generic difficulties with diagrams and (3) idiosyncratic difficulties that were related to specific diagrams. The results suggest that there is a need for instruction in diagram use to empower students and address their difficulties. Specific attention needs to be given to: (1) the diagram-picture distinction; (2) the ambiguity of diagrams; and (3) the dynamic feature of diagrams

Gender effects in orientation on primary students' performance on items rich in graphics.

This study investigated the longitudinal performance of 378 students who completed mathematics items rich in graphics. Specifically, this study explored student performance across axis (e.g., numbers lines), opposed-position (e.g., line and column graphs) and circular (e.g., pie charts) items over a three-year period (ages 9-11 years). The results of the study revealed significant performance differences in the favour of boys on graphics items that were represented in horizontal and vertical displays. There were no gender differences on items that were represented in a circular manner

Identity development in career-changing beginning teachers : a qualitative study of professional scientists becoming school teachers

This qualitative study provides a critical case to analyse the identity development of professionals who already have a strong sense of identity as scientists and have decided to relinquish their professional careers to become teachers. The study followed a group of professionals who undertook a one-year teacher education course and were assigned to secondary and middle-years schools on graduation. Their experiences were examined through the lens of self-determination theory, which posits that autonomy, confidence and relationships are important in achieving job satisfaction. The findings indicated that those teachers who were able to achieve this sense of autonomy and confidence, and had established strong relationships with colleagues generated a positive professional identity as a teacher. The failure to establish supportive relationships was a decisive event that challenged their capacity to develop a strong sense of identity as a teacher

Scaffolding students' thinking in mathematical investigations

This article describes some of the issues that teachers might encounter when scaffolding students’ thinking during mathematical investigations. It describes four episodes where a teacher’s scaffolding failed to support students’ mathematical thinking and explores the reasons why the scaffolding was ineffective. Understanding what is ineffective and why is one way to improve pedagogical practice. As a background to these episodes, we first provide an overview of the mathematical investigation. Our paper concludes with some recommendations for judicious scaffolding during investigations

From Scientist to Science Teacher: A Career Change Teacher in Transition

One method of addressing the shortage of science and mathematics teachers is to train scientists and other science-related professionals to become teachers. Advocates argue that these career changers as discipline experts can relate the subject matter knowledge to various contexts and applications. In this paper, through interviews with a former scientist and her students, we examine how one career changer used her expertise in microbiology to teach microscopy. These interviews provided the basis for a description of the teacher’s instruction which was then analysed for components of domain knowledge for teaching. Consistent with the literature, the findings revealed that this career changer needed to develop her pedagogical knowledge. However, an interesting finding was that the teacher’s subject matter as a science teacher differed substantively from her knowledge as a scientist. This finding challenges the assumption that subject matter is transferable across professions and provides insight into how to better support career changers to transition from scientist to science teacher