%0 Journal Article %1 szydlik2003ecp %A Szydlik, J.E. %A Szydlik, S.D. %A Benson, S.R. %D 2003 %I Springer %J Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education %K beliefs mathematics teacher %N 3 %P 253--279 %T Exploring Changes in Pre-service Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Beliefs %U http://www.springerlink.com/index/G75M43H4864572G1.pdf %V 6 %X Research literature (e.g., Thompson, 1992)suggests that teachers' beliefs about thenature of mathematics provide a strongindicator of their future teaching practices. Moreover, current reform efforts (e.g., NCTM,2000) ask teachers to lead mathematicalexplorations that allow their own students toconstruct mathematics. Understandingprospective teachers' mathematical beliefs andthe circumstances under which these beliefsmight be changed is therefore critical toteacher educators. In this paper we describethe culture of a mathematics content course forprospective elementary teachers that isdesigned to provide participants with authenticmathematical experiences and to fosterautonomous mathematical behaviors. Using bothsurvey and interview data, we exploredparticipants' beliefs about the nature ofmathematical behavior both at the commencementand at the completion of the course. We arguethat the participants' beliefs became moresupportive of autonomous behaviors during thecourse. We report that students attributedchanges in beliefs to specific classroom socialnorms and sociomathematical norms that includedfacets of work on ``big'' problems withunderlying structures, a broadening in theacceptable methods of solving problems, a focuson explanation and argument, and theopportunity to generate mathematics as aclassroom community.

@article{szydlik2003ecp, abstract = {Research literature (e.g., Thompson, 1992)suggests that teachers' beliefs about thenature of mathematics provide a strongindicator of their future teaching practices. Moreover, current reform efforts (e.g., NCTM,2000) ask teachers to lead mathematicalexplorations that allow their own students toconstruct mathematics. Understandingprospective teachers' mathematical beliefs andthe circumstances under which these beliefsmight be changed is therefore critical toteacher educators. In this paper we describethe culture of a mathematics content course forprospective elementary teachers that isdesigned to provide participants with authenticmathematical experiences and to fosterautonomous mathematical behaviors. Using bothsurvey and interview data, we exploredparticipants' beliefs about the nature ofmathematical behavior both at the commencementand at the completion of the course. We arguethat the participants' beliefs became moresupportive of autonomous behaviors during thecourse. We report that students attributedchanges in beliefs to specific classroom socialnorms and sociomathematical norms that includedfacets of work on ``big'' problems withunderlying structures, a broadening in theacceptable methods of solving problems, a focuson explanation and argument, and theopportunity to generate mathematics as aclassroom community.}, added-at = {2007-05-11T07:20:04.000+0200}, author = {Szydlik, J.E. and Szydlik, S.D. and Benson, S.R.}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2634e22c1402a62228ee69fdd699879eb/rmosvold}, interhash = {64a46d2f6306dedd0c4a0b686bef4c9e}, intrahash = {634e22c1402a62228ee69fdd699879eb}, journal = {Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education}, keywords = {beliefs mathematics teacher}, number = 3, pages = {253--279}, publisher = {Springer}, timestamp = {2007-05-11T07:20:04.000+0200}, title = {Exploring Changes in Pre-service Elementary Teachers' Mathematical Beliefs}, url = {http://www.springerlink.com/index/G75M43H4864572G1.pdf}, volume = 6, year = 2003 }