The Research on Mathematics Teaching and Planning: Theoretical Perspectives and Implications of Teachers’ Pre-post Classroom Activities

Abstract

Lesson planning, assessment, and reflection constitute the key actions that teachers perform when students are not present in the classroom (henceforth, “Type D” variable). These “pre- and post-”actions are the most direct ways through which teachers shape their observable teaching work as mediated by their goals for their teaching. These goals are representations of teachers’ epistemological commitments apropos of teaching mathematics, whether those commitments be consciously espoused or unconsciously reproduced due to constraints within which they work. In this chapter, we survey the literature on lesson planning, assessment, and reflection according to eight epistemological paradigms that are widely known in the field of mathematics teaching. These epistemological paradigms are: Situated Learning Theory, Behaviorism, Cognitive Learning Theory, Social Constructivism, Structuralism, Problem Solving, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, and Project- and Problem-Based Learning. We situate other perspectives on learning theory, which are derivatives of these prevailing paradigms, within this overarching frame. Our literature search revealed that some of the theoretical perspectives are well-reported in the literature whilst others have not received the same amount of attention from researchers. We detail each perspective, providing a definition, goals for teaching, pros and cons, and examples from the literature. We posit that, with the advent of the digital era of mathematics education, researchers must engage more explicitly with the theoretical perspectives we identified as underserved and must reckon with their own epistemological commitments more intentionally when reporting on studies regarding Type D.