Problematizing and Assessing Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Ways of Thinking

Work in secondary mathematics education takes many approaches to content, pedagogy, professional development and assessment. This session aims to illuminate the richness of hte content of secondary mathematics and the field of secondary mathematics education by sharing two such approaches and reflecting on the differences and commonalities between the two.   

In this session, Kevin Moore and Jason Silverman will address the question, “How do we work with teachers in ways that are sensitive to their ways of thinking, yet support shifts in their ways of thinking that influence their practice?” and share the following:

• Research on teachers’ ways of thinking for function, variables, and rate of change including how these ways of thinking influence their use of mathematical representations;
• Tasks and products that have been used to identify these ways of thinking and then support teachers in professional growth; and  
• Implications of their work for professional development and teacher change.

Sarah Sword will address the question, “What are the mathematical habits of mind (MHoM) that secondary teachers use, how do they use them, and how can we measure them?” and share:

• MHoM definitions and relationships to Mathematical Practices;
• Tasks and rubrics from a paper-pencil assessment measuring how teachers use MHoM when they do mathematics for themselves; and
• Data from field tests and examples of uses by other projects.

Panelists will then share thoughts on what the perspectives have in common and what distinguishes them, followed by general discussion and Q&A.