Search

In this paper, we describe an educational experience in the context of the Master's degree that is compulsory in Spain to become a secondary education mathematics teacher. Master's students from two universities in Madrid (Spain) attended lectures that addressed—emphasizing the concourse of a dynamic geometry software package—some historical, didactic and mathematical issues related to linkage mechanisms, such as those arising in the 18th and 19th centuries during the development of the steam engine. Afterwards, participants were asked to provide three different kinds of feedback: (i) working on an assigned group task, (ii) individually answering a questionnaire, and (iii) proposing some classroom activity, imagining it would be addressed to their prospective pupils. All three issues focused on the specific topic of the attended lectures. In the framework of Mason's reflective discourse analysis, the information supplied by the participants has been analyzed. The objective was to explore what they have learned from the experience and what their perception is of the potential interest in linkages as a methodological instrument for their future professional activity as teachers. This analysis is then the basis upon which to reflect on the opportunities (and problems) that this particular bar-joint linkages methodological approach could bring towards providing future mathematics teachers with attractive tools that would contribute to enhancing a STEAM-oriented education. Finally, the students' answers allow us to conclude that the experience was beneficial for these pre-service teachers, both in improving their knowledge on linkages history, mathematics, industrial, technological and artistic applications, and in enhancing the use in the classroom of this very suitable STEAM context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) model emerged from the advances proposed by Shulman in 1986 and 1987 as part of the teacher's professional knowledge model, and refers to the mathematical knowledge that the teacher employs to carry out the instruction process in the classroom. MKT has become an international benchmark for research into mathematics education and boasts a great scope and impact to date. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the way in which the MKT of early algebra teachers has been conceptualized and empirically studied in the scientific literature from 2010 to 2021. A systematic search in the Web of Science and Scopus databases led to a review of 17 papers. The results show great advances in the conceptualization of mathematical knowledge for teaching early algebra, focusing mainly on primary education teachers and on specialized knowledge of the content. In turn, there is a predominance of studies that address functional thinking as a content area. We conclude that more empirical studies are needed that address the mathematical knowledge that childhood and primary education teachers have of early algebra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]