Abstract
A shift in mathematics education in the Netherlands towards the so-called realistic approach made it necessary to prepare prospective teachers for a type of curriculum different from what they experienced as pupils. This article describes the characteristics of a preservice programme aiming at this goal and presents an analysis of the development of the student teachers' views of mathematics and mathematics education during the programme as well as their classroom behaviour. This analysis is based on two research studies. The first was a longitudinal study in which the student teachers were followed during \({2}\) years by means of questionnaires and interviews. The second was a study in which graduates from this programme were compared with graduates from a more traditional preparation programme by means of two teacher questionnaires and a pupil questionnaire, the latter measuring the pupils' perceptions of the actual teaching behaviour of the graduates. The teacher education programme appeared to be successful in changing the student teachers' views of mathematics education, especially in the direction of a more inquiry oriented approach, and in promoting effective teacher behaviour in the classroom. As far as their facilitating role as a teacher is concerned, the student teachers seemed to go through a two-stage learning process. Most of them reached the first stage, in which they realize that pupils have different preferences for learning and that a variety of possible explanations for problems should be offered. However, only a small number of student teachers seem to reach the second stage, in which they recognize the principle of building on pupils' own constructions, an important feature of realistic mathematics education. Possible explanations for the low impact of the programme, as well as solutions are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Broekman, H. G. B.: 1990, ‘The Mathematics teacher and pupil feedback’. In J. E. Dossey, A. E. Dossey and M. Parmantic (eds), Preservice Teacher Education. Normal: Math. Department, Illinois State University, pp. 139–147.
Cohen, J.: 1988, Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.
De Lange Jzn, J.: 1987, Mathematics Insight and Meaning, OW & OC, Utrecht.
Dieudonné, J.: 1982, ‘The work of Bourbaki during the last thirty years’, Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society 29, 618–623.
Dolk, M., Korthagen, F. A. J., and Wubbels, Th.: 1995, What Makes Teachers Teach the Way They Teach? Instruments to Investigate Aspects of Teacher's Gestalts. Paper presented at the 6th European Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction. Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Freudenthal, H.: 1978, Weeding and Sowing. Preface of a Science of Mathematics Education. Reidel. Publishing Company, Dordrecht.
Freudenthal, H.: 1991, Revisiting Mathematics Education: China Lectures, Kluwer, Dordrecht/Boston/London.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss A. L.: 1967, The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research, Aldine, Chicago.
Gravemeijer, K. P. E.: 1994, Developing Realistic Mathematics Evaluation, CDB Press, Utrecht.
Huibregtse, I., Korthagen, F. and Wubbels, Th.: 1994, ‘Physics teachers' conceptions of learning, teaching and professional development’, International Journal of Science Education 16,5, 539–561.
Kagan, D. M.: 1992, ‘Professional growth among pre-service and beginning teachers’, Review of Educational Research 62(2), 129–169.
Korthagen, F. A. J.: 1982, Leren reflecteren als basis voor de lerarenopleiding, Stichting voor Onderzoek van het Onderwijs, Den Haag.
Korthagen, F. A. J.: 1985, ‘Reflective teaching and pre-service teacher education in the Netherlands’, Journal of Teacher Education 36,(5), 11–15.
Korthagen, F. A. J.: 1988, ‘The influence of learning orientations on the development of reflective teaching’. In J. Calderhead (ed.), Teachers' Professional Learning, Falmer Press, London, pp. 35–50.
Korthagen, F. A. J., and Verkuyl H. S.: 1987, Supply and Demand: Towards Differentiation in Teacher Education, Based on Differences in Learning Orientations. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington D.C.
Korthagen, F. A. J.: 1993, ‘Two modes of reflection’, Teaching & Teacher Education 9,(3), 317–326.
Korthagen, F. A. J. and Wubbels, Th.: 1995, ‘Characteristics of Reflective Practioners: towards an operationalization of the concept of reflection’, Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice 1,1, 51–72.
Lasley, T. J.: 1980, ‘Preservice teacher beliefs about teaching’, Journal of Teacher Education 31,(1), 38–41.
Lortie, D.: 1975, Schoolteacher: A sociological Study, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Pratt, D. D.: 1988, ‘Andragogy as a relational construct’, Adult Education Ouarterly 38(3), 160–172.
Stofflett, R. T. and Stoddart, T.: 1994, ‘The ability to understand and use conceptual change pedagogy as a function of prior content learning experience’, Journal of Research in Science Teaching 31,(1), 31–51.
Thompson, A. G.: 1984, ‘The relationship of teachers' conceptions of mathematics and mathematics teaching to instructional practice’, Educational Studies in Mathematics 15, 105–127.
Tomic, W.: 1985, Docentengedrag en leerresultaten, Grafoplan, Enschede.
Treffers, A.: 1987, ‘Three Dimensions’, A Model of Goals and Theory Description in Mathematics Instruction — The Wiskobas Project, Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht.
Turk, D. C., and Speers, M. A.: 1983, ‘Cognitive schemata and cognitive processes in cognitive-behavioral interventions: going beyond the information given’. In P. Kendall (ed.), Advances in Cognitive-Behavioral Research and Therapy, Academic Press, New York, pp. 1–31.
Van den Brink, F. J.: 1984, ‘Numbers in contextual frameworks’, Educational Studies in Mathematics 15, 239–257.
Van Dormolen, J.: 1986, ‘Textual analysis’. In: B. Christiansen, A.G. Howsor. and M. Otte (eds.), Perspectives on Mathematics Education, Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, pp. 141–173.
Van Hiele, P. M.: 1986, Structure and Insight, A Theory of Mathematics Education, Academic Press, Inc. New York.
Vedder, J. and Bannink, P.: 1988, ‘One to one lessons and reflection at the beginning of teacher education’. In J, T. Voorbach and L. G. M. Prick (eds.), Teacher Education 4, SVO, 's Gravenhage.
Wahl, D., Weinert, F. E., and Huber, G. L. 1984: Psychologie für die Schulpraxis. Ein handlungsorientiertes Lehrbuch für Lehrer, Kösel Verlag, München.
Weber, S. J., and Mitchell, C. 1995: That's Funny. You Don't Look Like a Teacher! Interrogating Images, Identity, and Popular Culture, Falmer Press, London.
Wubbels, Th., Brekelmans, M., and Hooymayers, H. P.: 1991, ‘Interpersonal Teacher Behavior in the Classroom’. In: B. J. Fraser, and H. J. Walberg (eds.), Educational Environments, Pergamon Press, Oxford, pp. 141–161.
Wubbels, Th., and Korthagen, F. A. J.: 1990, ‘The effects of a pre-service teacher education program for the preparation of reflective teachers’, Journal of Education for Teaching 16,(1), 29–43.
Wubbels, Th.: 1992, ‘Taking account of student teacher's preconceptions’, Teaching and Teacher Education 8,(2), 137–149.
Wubbels, Th., and J. Levy: 1993, Do You Know What You Look Like? Interpersonal Relations in the Classroom, Falmer Press, London.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wubbels, T., Korthagen, F. & Broekman, H. Preparing teachers for realistic mathematics education. Educational Studies in Mathematics 32, 1–28 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002900522457
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1002900522457