Isu-Isu Kontemporari Dalam Pendidikan Matematik

TEACHERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT MATHEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHING DEFINITIONS

http://www.iejme.com/032013/d1.pdf

Reidar Mosvold dan Janne Fauskanger

This research is about teachers’ beliefs about mathematical knowledge for teaching definitions (MKT). Qualitative content analysis was applied in order to learn more about the teachers’ beliefs about mathematical knowledge for teaching definitions. The results indicate that teachers believe knowledge of mathematical definitions is an important aspect of mathematical knowledge for teaching, but they do not regard it as important to actually know the mathematical definitions themselves. Teachers might hold beliefs that indicate an emphasis on understanding the content more than simply mastering the skills and remember facts. Researchers have suggested that there are cultural differences in the use of definitions and in how student developed algorithms are emphasized. Such differences might also influence teachers’ beliefs about MKT, and further research is needed in order to learn more about the influence of such cultural differences in teaching practice on teachers’ beliefs about MKT.