Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Educative curriculum materials (ECM) have been shown to support K-12 teacher learning, but little is known about teacher educators’ use of ECM. In this study, we report on enactments of ECM designed to support the development of preservice elementary teachers’ content knowledge for teaching about matter in two different courses to understand how teacher educators use ECM. Participants were two full professors teaching science content and science methods courses for elementary preservice teachers at a public university in the Pacific Northwest.

Educative curriculum materials (ECM) have been shown to support K-12 teacher learning, but little is known about teacher educators’ use of ECM. In this study, we report on enactments of ECM designed to support the development of preservice elementary teachers’ content knowledge for teaching about matter in two different courses to understand how teacher educators use ECM. Participants were two full professors teaching science content and science methods courses for elementary preservice teachers at a public university in the Pacific Northwest.

Proportional reasoning is an important but challenging skill for students and teachers. This article, presents findings from two studies investigating whether four categories of reasoning identified by Copur-Gencturk et al. (2022, A Closer Look at Teachers’ Proportional Reasoning. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 21(1), 113–129) apply to a national sample of U.S. middle school mathematics teachers (N = 1,320) and can be captured consistently by similar tasks.

Mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) is a professional knowledge crucial for effective mathematics instruction, encompassing both content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The purpose of this study is to investigate the hierarchical structure of PCK for fractions by seeking further evidence for the PCK-Fractions assessment. The PCK-Fractions measure is designed to examine the effectiveness of teacher education program and field experiences in facilitating preservice teachers’ (PSTs) PCK for children’s fraction reasoning in grades 4–6.

In a traditional lecturing environment, students possess limited agency in accepting or rejecting information provided by teachers. A higher level of student agency involves opportunities and actively identifying uncertainties and collaborating with peers to deepen understanding within the classroom community. Teachers play a crucial role in guiding students through sensemaking by addressing uncertainties and assisting in solution development. Student uncertainty is recognized as a pedagogical resource, engaging them in sensemaking and enhancing agency levels.

Extended reality (XR) is increasingly used to support preservice and inservice teacher training. Its use in teacher education has shown promise in improving future educators’ engagement, self-confidence, and noticing skills. Despite this evidence, the field lacks innovative measures to assess outcomes such as those offered through biometric data collection. This article addresses this gap by presenting the findings of a study involving 18 PSTs, who watched a 360 video of an elementary classroom while their heart rate data was gathered.

A growing body of research has supported the implementation of innovative and immersive video for teaching and learning across the lifespan. Immersive video, delivered through eXtended Reality (XR) tools like 360 video, provides users with new ways to see real or created environments. Unfortunately, most of the existing research has highlighted immersive video without accompanying immersive audio. This use of monophonic audio can create a disconnect for viewers as they experience close to real world video with sounds that do not match a real-world environment.

Professional noticing involves attending to and interpreting children’s mathematical reasoning. In a similar manner, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is defined as the knowledge teachers need to interpret and respond to children’s reasoning. The present study reports on an initial exploration of the relationship between these two constructs using eye-tracking technology and the PCK-Fractions measure. Results suggest a relationship between where teachers spend time focusing and their PCK scores.