“Authentic Investigative Activities” for Teaching Ratio and Proportion in Pre-Service Mathematics Teacher Education

Abstract

We present some elements related to the creation, implementation, and evaluation of the impact of “authentic investigative activities” that focus on the content as well as pedagogical knowledge and attitudes in pre-service education of elementary and high school mathematics teachers. A special learning model was developed, implemented, and tested as part of activities developed in institutions that provide pre-service teacher education in Israel. The model was developed following pilot studies investigating the change in mathematical and pedagogical knowledge of pre- and inservice mathematics teachers due to the application of “authentic investigative activities”. The conclusion of the study is that application of the model, incorporating theory and practice, leads to a dramatic positive change in the pre-service teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge. In addition, an improvement occurred in their attitudes and beliefs towards learning and teaching mathematics in general, and ratio and proportion in particular. Keywords: Authentic Investigative Activities. Ratio and Proportion. Proportional Reasoning. Mathematics Teacher Education. Preservice Teacher Education.