PROCEEDINGS OF THE 16TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 2)
2013
Denver, Colorado
Prospective Elementary Teachers’ Prior Knowledge as a Resource in their Number Sense Development
Page: 2-285
Researchers have documented deficiencies in prospective elementary teachers’ mathematics content knowledge. The construct of number sense captures the qualities of mathematical reasoning that mathematics teacher educators wish for elementary teachers. However, few researchers have documented interventions that were successful in improving the number sense of prospective elementary teachers. The field is in need of theory concerning prospective elementary teachers’ number sense development. I report findings from a study of number sense development in the setting of a mathematics content course for prospective elementary teachers. Drawing on analyses of collective activity and individuals’ number sense development, I highlight findings that illuminate our understanding of the phenomenon of prospective elementary teachers’ number sense development.