A sociocultural analysis of the development of pre-service and beginning teachers’ pedagogical identities as users of technology

This paper reports on a study that investigated the pedagogical practices and beliefs of pre-service and beginning teachers in integrating technology into the teaching of secondary school mathematics. A case study documents how one teacher’s modes of working with technology changed over time and across different school contexts, and identifies relationships between a range of personal and contextual factors that influenced the development of his identity as a teacher. This analysis views teachers’ learning as increasing participation in sociocultural practices, and uses Valsiner’s concepts of the Zone of Proximal Development, Zone of Free Movement, and Zone of Promoted Action to offer a dynamic way of theorising teacher learning as identity formation.

[1]  Thomas P. Dick,et al.  Teachers' perceptions of the impact of graphing calculators in the mathematics classroom , 1997 .

[2]  Azita Manoucherhri.  Computers and school mathematics reform: implications for mathematics teacher education , 1999 .

[3]  Pat Halpin,et al.  The WWW, Preservice Teachers and Their Mathematics Courses. , 1996 .

[4]  Jaan Valsiner,et al.  Culture and the Development of Children's Action: A Theory of Human Development , 1997 .

[5]  Stephen Lerman,et al.  A Review of Research Perspectives on Mathematics Teacher Education , 2001 .

[6]  Helen Forgasz,et al.  Computers for secondary mathematics: who uses them and how? , 2001 .

[7]  E. Forman,et al.  The multiple voices of a mathematics classroom community , 2001 .

[8]  M. Goos,et al.  Reshaping teacher and student roles in technology-enriched classrooms , 2000 .

[9]  Joan Ferrini-Mundy,et al.  Principles and Standards for School Mathematics: A Guide for Mathematicians , 2000 .

[10]  Thomas J. Cooney.  RESEARCH AND TEACHER EDUCATION: IN SEARCH OF COMMON GROUND , 1994 .

[11]  Merrilyn Goos,et al.  Perspectives on technology mediated learning in secondary school mathematics classrooms , 2003 .

[12]  Merrilyn Goos,et al.  From description to analysis in technology aided teaching and learning: A contribution from Zone Theory , 2003 .

[13]  Sue Willis,et al.  A national statement on mathematics for Australian schools , 1991 .

[14]  Lev Vygotsky.  Mind in society , 1978 .

[15]  Maria L. Blanton,et al.  Using valsiner’s zone theory to interpret Teaching practices in mathematics and science Classrooms , 2005 .

[16]  Merrilyn Goos,et al.  Establishing a community of practice in a secondary mathematics classroom , 1999 .

[17]  A. McCoy.  Integration of Technology into Higher Education Teacher Preparation Programs , 1999 .

[18]  Janet Sharp,et al.  Effects of Integrating Problem Solving, Interactive Multimedia, and Constructivism in Teacher Education , 1998 .

[19]  Thomas J. Cooper,et al.  Factors Influencing Computer Use in Mathematics Teaching in Secondary Schools , 2001 .

[20]  M. Jayne Fleener,et al.  Calculators as instructional tools: perceptions of three preservice teachers , 1994 .

[21]  REFLECTION ON TEACHING: FACTORS AFFECTING CHANGES IN THE COGNITIONS AND PRACTICE OF STUDENT TEACHERS , 1994 .

[22]  Hélia Oliveira,et al.  Development of Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Professional Knowledge and Identity in Working with Information and Communication Technology , 2002 .

[23]  New tools for new thoughts: Effects of changing the “Tools-to-Think- With” on the elementary mathematics methods course. , 1999 .

[24]  Marina Penglase,et al.  The graphics calculator in mathematics education: A critical review of recent research , 1996 .

[25]  Elaine Simmt.  Graphing calculators in high school mathematics , 1997 .

[26]  Scafolds for Learning: A Sociocultural Approach to Reforming Mathematics Teaching and Teacher Education , 1999 .