Mathematics, computers, and young children as a research-oriented learning environment for a teacher candidate

Abstract

The advent of computer technology in the classroom raised the issue of its appropriate use by teachers and their students alike. It has been recommended that teacher education programs provide more opportunities for teacher candidates' use of technology including teaching their own technology-enhanced lessons. With a goal of integrating scholarship into student teaching, a teacher candidate enrolled in a graduate program in childhood education carried out a technology-enhanced research project within a professional development school. Examining the impact of the project on the teacher candidate, this article describes how one's pedagogical content knowledge and technological competence can be developed through a research-oriented teaching experience. The article also demonstrates the emergence of a community of practice that shares the goal of providing learning spaces for the teacher candidate and young children in the context of mathematics enrichment with computers.

Using Wolfram Alpha with Elementary Teacher Candidates: From More Than One Correct Answer to More Than One Correct Solution

“…This paper has its origin in a project originally designed for a group of second grade students administered by an elementary teacher candidate as an extension of their student teaching experience. The project was supervised by two education faculty members [7]. Later, the project was administered by several teacher candidates as part of their prestudent teaching.…”