Non-specialist teachers of mathematics: Pedagogical challenges in the Middle Years of Schooling

Barbara TadichThis round table discussion will focus on the efficacy, pedagogies and practice of nonspecialist teachers of mathematics in the middle years of schooling in a regional Victorian setting. Case study data, collected through questionnaires and interviews of 26 junior secondary teachers with no mathematics methods in their training, from six, rural, coeducational Victorian Government schools, will be presented. Current middle years’ reform and initiatives such as Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) provide guidelines for effective teaching strategies to engage young adolescents generally. However, in order to provide expanded learning opportunities in mathematics, teachers require professional knowledge of their subject. Being able to present an understanding to student of big ideas, the main branches and concepts of mathematics, and providing a sense of their interconnections aids students to engage in mathematics. This research project was undertaken to investigate whether non-specialist mathematics teachers’ pedagogical practices in secondary schools were influenced by their limited training and mathematical pedagogical knowledge. The findings indicate that lack of method training and knowledge of pedagogical content impacts on both the teachers and the students’ mathematical engagement at junior secondary level. Through this round table I invite other researchers to discuss their experiences of working with middle years mathematics teachers to seek their input in the possible development of further work in investigating the challenges of non-specialist mathematics teachers in junior secondary schools and overall student engagement in mathematics.

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Research papers will be blind reviewed by a panel of peers approved by the conference committee. The main purpose of the refereeing process is to contribute to the growth and development of quality practice in mathematics education research. Thus reviewers are asked to assist authors by providing helpful feedback and to comment on the suitability of papers for presentation at the conference. Accordingly, it will not be assumed that published papers presented at the conference will be as polished as articles in scholarly journals. Referees will be asked to assess papers being reviewed against the accepted norms for scholarly works presented at MERGA conferences, as set out above.

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Non-specialist teachers of mathematics: Pedagogical challenges in the Middle Years of Schooling

Non-specialist teachers of mathematics: Pedagogical challenges in the Middle Years of Schooling

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