Mathematics-for-teaching: Insights from the case of annuities
Date
2014
Authors
Pournara, Craig
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AOSIS Publishing
Abstract
Shulman’s notations of subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) have been very influential in education research on teachers’ knowledge for teaching. However, there is little empirical evidence in support of these as separate analytical constructs. Furthermore, attempts to distinguish SMK and PCK highlight the complex and multidimensional nature of teachers’ knowledge and hence the difficulty of separating SMK and PCK. The author adopts the notion of mathematics-for-teaching (MfT) and argues that teachers’ knowledge for teaching annuities comprises knowledge of mathematical aspects, knowledge of pedagogical aspects and contextual knowledge of finance. Drawing from a larger study in which the author taught a financial mathematics course to pre-service secondary mathematics teachers, four examples of teachers’ knowledge for teaching annuities are identified, each of which illustrates how knowledge of mathematics, knowledge of pedagogy and contextual knowledge of finance are intertwined.
Description
Keywords
Mathematics teaching – annuities, Financial mathematics -- teaching
Citation
Pournara, C. (2014). Mathematics-for-teaching: Insights from the case of annuities. Pythagoras, 35(1), 1-12. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/pythagoras.v35i1.250