PROCEEDINGS OF THE 19TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2016
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Secondary teachers confronting mathematical uncertainty: Reactions to a teacher assessment item on exponents
Page: 1312
Teaching is inherently uncertain, and teaching secondary mathematics is no exception. We take the view that uncertainty can present opportunity for teachers to refine their practice, and that undergraduate mathematical preparation for secondary teaching can benefit from engaging pre-service teachers in tasks presenting uncertainty. We examined 13 secondary teachers’ reactions to mathematical uncertainty when engaged with concepts about extending the domain for the operation of exponentiation. The data are drawn from an interview-based study of items developed to assess mathematical knowledge for teaching at the secondary level. In our findings, we characterize ways in which teachers either denied or mathematically investigated the uncertainty. Potential implications for instructors include using mathematical uncertainty to provide an opportunity for undergraduates to learn both content and practices of the Common Core State Standards. The proposal concludes with questions addressing how undergraduate mathematics instructors could use uncertainty as a resource when teaching preservice teachers.