Analyzing the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT)

Analyzing the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) of Secondary Teachers

Project Description:

The Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) is the specialized content knowledge needed to be a math teacher. MKT is knowing mathematics from the perspective of helping others to learn it and includes being mathematically ready to teach an idea, method, or other aspect (Ball, 2011). While MKT has been studied in depth for elementary teachers, there has been little work done at the secondary level (middle and high school). The project I am proposing will address the lack of research on MKT at the secondary level. In this project, we will examine preciously collected data from teachers who were students in the Masters of Arts in Teaching Mathematics (MAT) course on mathematical proof. The data include student written work and audio responses to mathematical tasks that require teachers to demonstrate MKT. Data will be analyzed to answer three questions: (a) When given mathematical task related to number theory, can teachers demonstrate sufficient MKT in written response? (b) When given mathematical task related to number theory, can teachers demonstrate sufficient MKT and communicate their understanding of MKT in audio response? As number theory in an area of mathematics that relates directly to the number and operations strand in the Common Core State Standards for Math, analyzing teachers need to teach secondary math.

Advisor: Christina Eubanks-Turner, ceturner@lmu.edu
Project Duration: AY 2017-2018

Student Duties:

The student will be required to read background literature on MKT, code student written and audio response data both quantitatively and qualitatively, create tables and charts to display quantitative data, and look for middle and high school level standards and tasks that relate to the number theory tasks being analyzed.

Student Background Required:

A student would need to be familiar with secondary mathematics topics and have taken a mathematical proofs course. The MAT would be the appropriate program for furthering the student's scholarly program.