Veteran Ontario Public School Teachers’ Experiences with and Perceptions of Discovery-Based Mathematics Education
Year: 2017
Type: other
Abstract: Discovery-based instruction in Ontario mathematics education has often been the centre of the debate over the continuously declining Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) mathematics results. This qualitative study explored Ontario elementary and secondary mathematics teachers’ experiences with and perceptions of discovery-based mathematics education. Data were collected from semi-structured one-on-one interviews with four teacher participants who each have more than 20 years of teaching experiences in Ontario public schools. Recorded interviews were transcribed and coded and categories were then created bringing together data with related codes. The findings were organized into four major themes: the importance of basic mathematical facts and skills; thinking and reasoning essential in mathematics classrooms; a balanced approach between direct and discovery-base instructions; and the importance of teachers’ content knowledge and their knowledge of students. The findings suggested that the lack of basic mathematical knowledge and conceptual understanding in students might be one of the reasons for the continuously declining EQAO mathematics results. They also suggested that the communities of researchers and educators on both sides of the mathematics debate had not been communicating openly and constructively to discuss mutually agreed instructional approaches. Recommendations and potential areas of further research are also offered.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Ji Xiang Huang
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2611885454