Pat Perks

MODELS AND SUPER-MODELS: WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN MATHEMATICS TEACHING[1]

Teaching about teaching is a complex process requiring knowledge about teaching as well as knowledge about teaching about teaching. We have published findings on research carried out over the last few years about teachers’ subject knowledge. This research led to the proposal of a model for thinking about subject knowledge which distinguishes between knowledge needed to pass an examination and knowledge needed to help someone else to come to know that knowledge. The first is necessary but not sufficient for the latter. This model for thinking about subject knowledge has led to proposals for similar models for thinking about other aspects of teacher knowledge and has more recently developed into a parallel model for thinking about teacher education.

Developing Critical Intelligence: Tensions in the DfES model for Best Practice Research Scholarship

In September 2000 we began working with 17 secondary teachers on a programme of co-operative teacher research funded by the DfEE (now DfES) Best Practice Research Scholarship (BPRS) scheme. This particular group of mathematics and science teachers were working on various questions about implementing the National Numeracy Strategy at KS3 and integrating Thinking Skills in science lessons. The DfEEs expectations and their evaluation questions as to the role and purpose of such research define a particular model of the research process. This paper explores the tensions inherent in the DfEE model for teacher research and the potential conflict between the development of the teacher as researcher and the need to identify tangible practice outcomes.

The DfES Model for Best Practice Research Scholarships: tensions

I n September 2000, we began working with 17 secondary teachers on a programme of cooperative teacher research funded by the DfEE Best Practice Research Scholarship (BPRS) scheme.The DfEE’s expectations and their evaluation questions to date as to the role and purpose of such research define a particular model of the research process.This article explores the tensions inherent in this model and the potential conflict between the development of the teacher as researcher and the need to identify tangible practice outcomes. As a consequence of mounting criticism on the role and purpose of educational research (e.g. Hargreaves, 1999) there has been renewed interest in funding teachers to follow their own research questions. In 1996, the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) launched the Teacher Research Grant Pilot Scheme. Within a few years, the funding of such projects moved to the DfEE. In April 2000 Best Practice Research Scholarships (BPRS) were launched with a similar philosophy to that of the TTA. Such scholarships have continued to be funded by the DfES. The teacher as action-researcher has a long history but, through the TTA and DfES, BPRS offers a greater national emphasis on the development of the teacher as researcher. We applaud the initiative, and see it as an important approach towards the continuing professional development of teachers. Working with a group of teachers who have successfully bid for BPRS money, we have been sharply reminded of issues of how practice and research relate to each other. These issues are not new, they have been part of teacher education and professional development for a long time, particularly the question, ‘what counts as research?’ Those of us who work within university education departments are familiar with the supposed dichotomies between research and curriculum development and the ‘worth’ attributed to publishing in professional journals or academic journals.

Bar and Pie Charts: Ideas for the Classroom

This article gives some ideas for the creation ofbar charts and pie charts, focusing onrepresentations of frequencies and proportions.