Fauskanger, Janne

2 Publications in AERD

Author Publications

Teacher Educators' Word Use when Teaching Student Teachers how to Teach Place Value to Early Years Learners

By Longwe, Justina

This article discusses the findings of a case study that explored the use of explanatory talk in mathematics teacher education lessons on how to teach the concept of place value. The Mathematics Discourse in Instruction framework guided the study, in particular the element of naming in explanatory talk. Three teacher educators' lessons on the teaching of place value of whole numbers were observed and video recorded. Findings indicate that across all the lessons, 66% of the naming was mathematical and was seen to provide opportunities for student teachers to learn to use mathematical terms correctly, while 34% of the naming was non-mathematical and might have constrained student teachers' understanding of some concepts related to place value. Furthermore, two-thirds of the non-mathematical naming was use of ambiguous pronouns, which could have been avoided. The findings suggest that teacher educators need to pay more attention to correct mathematical naming of terms related to place value. How mathematical concepts are named in teacher education is important because correct naming is likely to help student teachers learn to regard mathematical talk as an important part of their work of teaching.

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Challenging Malawian primary teachers' views on mathematics teaching and learning through lesson study

By Fauskanger, Janne

Purpose The aim of the study is to better understand how lesson study (LS) contributes to challenging teachers' views of mathematics teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach This study is part of a wider ongoing project aiming at improving primary mathematics teaching in Malawi through professional development (PD) of teachers using a LS model. The units being analyzed are teachers' written reflections and lesson plans. The analytical approach is qualitative content analysis. Findings Initially, the participating Malawian primary teachers report traditional views of mathematics teaching and learning. After having participated in a LS cycle, they reported on the need to work on how to involve and create space for learners' participation in mathematic lessons and highlight the importance for learners to discover mathematics on their own. Research limitations/implications This is a small-scale study due to LS being quite new in the Malawian context and the need to test before possible upscaling. Practical implications The paper includes a description on how LS might contribute to challenging Malawian teachers' views of mathematics teaching and learning; this can be valuable information for others who are attempting to use LS in a similar context. Originality/value This paper fulfills an identified need to learn more about how LS might contribute to challenging teachers' views of mathematics teaching and learning worldwide.

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