Abstract
A constructivist perspective provided the basis for a four stage intervention with teachers. The intervention which combined intensive summer courses with ongoing support in the classroom was designed to stimulate teachers' development of a constructivist view of learning to serve as a basis for their instructional decision-making. Impact of the intervention was studied through analysis of teachers' writings and the use of an interview-based instrument developed by the researchers. The results indicated that this intervention had an important effect on teachers' beliefs about learning which in turn affected the decisions that they made in the classroom.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Cobb, P., Wood, T., Yackel, E., Nichols, J., Wheatley, G., Trigatti, B., and Perlwitz, M.: 1991, ‘Assessment of a problem-centered second grade mathematics project’, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 22, 3–29.
Confrey, J.: 1985, ‘A constructivist view of mathematics instruction part I; a theoretical perspective’, Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.
Cooney, T.: 1988, ‘The issue of reform: What have we learned from yesteryear?’, Mathematics Teacher 81, 352–363.
Hall, G. E., Loucks, S. F., Rutherford, W. L., and Newlove, B. W.: 1975, Levels of Use of the Innovation: A Framework for Analyzing Innovation Adoption, The Research and Development Center for Teacher Education.
Joyce, B. and Showers, B.: 1988, Student Achievement Through Staff Development, Longman, Inc., New York.
Marton, F.: 1988, ‘Phenomenography: A research approach to investigating different understanding of reality’, in R. Sherman and R. Webb (eds.), Qualtitative Research in Education: Focus and Methods, The Falmer Press, London, pp. 141–161.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM): 1989, Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Reston, VA.
National Research Council (NRC): 1989, Everybody Counts: A Report to the Nation on the Future of Mathematics Education, National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
Pulaski, M.: 1980, Understanding Piaget. Harper & Row Publishers, New York.
Simon, M.: 1986, ‘The teacher's role in increasing student understanding of mathematics’, Educational Leadership 43, 40–43.
Simon, M.: 1989, ‘The impact of intensive classroom followup in a constructivist mathematics teacher education program’, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of AERA, San Franciso, ERIC ED313351.
Simon, M. and Schifter, D.: 1990, ‘Teacher education from a constructivist perspective: The educational leaders in mathematics project’, ERIC ED313361.
Sinclair, H.: 1987, ‘Constructivism and the psychology of mathematics’, Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual Psychology of Mathematics Education Conference, pp. 28–41.
Steffe, L., Cobb, P., and von Glasersfeld, E.: 1988, Construction of Arithmetical Meanings and Strategies, Springer-Verlag, New York.
von Glasersfeld, E.: 1983, ‘Learning as a constructive activity’, Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of Psychology of Mathematics Education, pp. 41–69.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Simon, M.A., Schifter, D. Towards a constructivist perspective: An intervention study of mathematics teacher development. Educ Stud Math 22, 309–331 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369293
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00369293