Changes in Elementary School Teachers’ Noticing by Learning the Work of Teaching Mathematics

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The noticing ability is an important competency for teachers, but there is a lack of research on in-service teachers’ noticing.
This study analyzed the changes in noticing of 23 in-service elementary teachers before and after taking a graduate course designed to increase their understanding of the important work of teaching mathematics. Teachers’ noticing was analyzed for an entire lesson on dividing fractions taught by an expert teacher. Two categories of noticing were assessed (mathematically focused and pedagogically focused), and three facets of noticing were assessed (perceiving, interpreting, and decision-making) at three levels. Results showed similarities in teachers’ pre- and post-course noticing, including their selection of the same episodes as being meaningful and their consistent focus on mathematics rather than pedagogy. In the post-course noticing, Level 1 of perceiving, interpreting, and decision-making decreased or disappeared, while Level 2 decreased and Level 3 increased consistently. These level changes were particularly notable in mathematically focused noticing. Teachers explained aspects of what changed or remained unchanged in their noticing in terms of their values regarding mathematics instruction as well as learning from the course. These findings confirm that in-service teachers can change their noticing through discussions about the work of teaching mathematics. The paper concludes with a discussion of the aspects of teachers’ noticing that changed and associated factors, aspects that did not change and associated factors, and methodological considerations for research on in-service teachers’ noticing.