Search Results (4)

We present the continuation of a study on an international MOOC for the training of mathematics teachers who were introduced to the methodology of outdoor mathematics through MathCityMap. Previously, we presented the immediate learning and professional development outcomes achieved by teachers who participated in the MOOC. Here, using the theoretical framework of Meta-Didactical Transposition and performing a mixed-type analysis, we investigate the long-term impact of the MOOC on these teachers to whom we administered a questionnaire one year after the end of the MOOC. We conclude that for these teachers, practising mathematics outdoors has become a consolidated teaching practice, but they still feel quite uncomfortable for structural reasons about using some pedagogical instruments they have learned in the MOOC. Full article

This study aimed to examine the collaborative design of an interdisciplinary STEAM activity conducted by lower-secondary school teachers of different disciplines. We adopted an approach based on a case study involving four teachers (art, music, technology, and mathematics/science teachers) designing an activity focused on the concept of symmetry. We gathered data through oral, semi-structured interviews with the teachers and through schematic representations of resource systems provided by the teachers themselves. Data analysis aimed to identify the different kinds of resources the teachers relied on, their utilization schemes, and the overarching meta-didactical praxeology adopted by the teachers for their collaborative design work. The theoretical model adopted for data analysis was a combination of the Documentational Approach to Didactics and the Meta-Didactical Transposition frameworks, originally introduced to study the work of researchers in the context of teacher professional development. An application of this model to the collaborative design work of teachers can provide a fresh insight into the relationship between teachers’ documentation work for the design of a STEAM activity, the practices that they adopt to address this shared task (praxis), and the shared justifying discourses (logos) for their praxis. Full article

Since teachers have the greatest impact on student learning, it is crucial to consider how professional development programs (PDP) for teachers can enhance their contribution, especially in designing mathematical tasks for teaching. This paper focuses on identifying patterns of practices of mathematics teacher educators related to crucial aspects of two teacher PDPs: one conducted face-to-face and the other using a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The Meta-Didactical Transposition is employed as the theoretical framework for comparing the two PDPs and for identifying patterns of practices. The findings suggest that educators, both in face-to-face and online settings, consider certain practices to guide teachers in designing mathematical tasks. This paper aims to share experiences of good practices that can be implemented by other researchers seeking to guide teachers in task design, either alone or in small groups. Full article

This study aims to explore how teachers from four countries—France, Israel, Italy, and Germany—manage their teaching–learning activity in the context of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. About 700 teachers from the four countries participated in this study. They were given an online questionnaire that involved 22 open-ended items, in which they were requested to complete the items that were structured taking into account the relationships between teacher, students, mathematics and resources. The qualitative analysis of teachers’ answers was carried out, referring to both the meta-didactical transposition model and Bishop’s framework on values to investigate teachers’ teaching–learning activities and the reasons underlying their choices. The empirical analysis suggests four tasks corresponding to the main challenges that teachers had to face during the time of lockdown: (a) managing distance learning to support students’ learning through specific methodologies; (b) managing distance learning to develop assessment; (c) managing distance learning to support those students that face difficulties and/or are living a difficult situation/developing inclusive teaching; and (d) managing distance learning to exploit its potentialities for fostering typical mathematical processes. The values that motivated the teachers to change their teaching–learning activities are discussed, conclusions of how the time of lockdown affects the mathematics teaching is drawn, and finally, recommendations and insights from this study are shared. Full article