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Reflective writing in preservice content courses.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

Students enter preservice content courses for elementary school teachers with preconceived ideas about the K-8 curriculum that influence their views of the content and methods of these courses. Written reflections on journal articles chosen to reinforce a mathematical concept or method can help increase student awareness of the K-8 curriculum and is readily extended to other disciplines.

Introduction

Preservice elementary school teachers enter content courses with beliefs and attitudes about teaching and mathematics that can profoundly influence their future teaching. Brown and Borko (1992) explored various facets of teacher education programs and report that students begin teacher preparation and content course with attitudes and beliefs that developed during their own childhood with "simplistic expectations" about their future as teachers (p. 222). Some of the beliefs held by preservice teachers include the expectation that problems should take little time to complete and a single method of approach is sufficient (Karp 1991). Another common belief is that instruction should be based on developing procedures (Stuart and Thurlow 2000). Many preservice teachers believe that liking children and maintaining a motivating environment are adequate for successful teaching (Lasley, 1980 and Veenman 1984). Preservice students assume that the concepts in mathematics and science that they struggle with will be difficult to explain to their future students at a conceptual level (Stevens and Wenner 1996). Other students in these preservice courses have preconceived notions about the alignment of the mathematics curriculum in K-8 that are inconsistent with National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and state standards. Still others see the emphasis on multiple representations as unnecessary, with the view that one method should work for all (Fennema and Franke, 1992). Similar findings concerning beliefs and attitudes by Stuart and Thurlow support the need for preservice teachers to voice and examine their beliefs about teaching.

In discussing the implications of beliefs for teacher educators, Thompson (1992) urges teacher educators to assist students in reflection on their attitudes and beliefs, though recognizes that there is insufficient time in a methods course to alter deep rooted conceptions of mathematics. I suggest that this reflection on beliefs and...

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