A Case Study On The Characteristics Of MPCK In Subject Teaching(Mathematics)

With the rapid development of our society,education,as well as necessary knowledge requirement for teachers,are receiving increasing attention from all over the world.Mathematical pedagogical content knowledge(MPCK),being an important component in the knowledge framework for mathematics teachers,is not only a key factor affecting teaching,but the core criterion for measuring the professional development of mathematics teachers.This study,through questionnaires and case studies,mainly analyzes the MPCK level of specialized teaching masters(mathematics)and their characteristics in four perspectives of mathematics knowledge(MK),pedagogical knowledge(PK),content knowledge(CK)and technological knowledge(TK).And then some suggestions are put forward for improving the level of MPCK for specialized masters of subject teaching(mathematics).The survey results show that Subject Teaching(Mathematics)Master’s MPCK reserve is on an average level with high level of TK,average level of PK and CK,and low level of MK.In addition,there is no significant difference between different professional backgrounds when it comes to the level of MPCK.Case study results show that both individual cases have comparatively higher level of MK and can better grasp specificmathematical content.They are able to accurately grasp the important and difficult points of specific mathematical content knowledge and understand the correlation between a specific mathematical content knowledge and the context.Being at the average level of PK,they can choose appropriate classroom introduction and successfully aroused students’ interest in learning.They are able to choose basic teaching methods to help students correctly understand the important and difficult points of specific mathematical content knowledge.When giving feedbacks in classroom,they mostly show more restatements of questions rather than feedbacks with extensions based on students’ answers.They are at a comparatively lower level of CK of mathematics learning.They do not know how well the students’ grasp of specific content knowledge and how rich the students’ knowledge experience is;In addition,they are not only unable to accurately predict the students’ answers and opinions on related questions,but also unable to correctly judge the students’ knowledge obstruct and the reasons for the obstruct.Meanwhile,they are at a higher level of TK.They can nicely choose appropriate educational technologies to present specific mathematical content according to different teaching activities and student learning conditions and make adjustments to fit different teaching activities;What’s more,they can use traditional and simple modern educational technology proficiently.Suggestions for improving the MPCK level of subject teaching(mathematics)are as follows: On one hand,the masters in subject teaching(mathematics)should strengthen the understanding of subject knowledge,enrich their knowledge reserve about teaching methods,teaching strategies and teaching feedback.They also need to deepen the understanding of students’ learning needs and thinking styles,and be familiar with the use of various mathematical software.On the other hand,colleges and universities should provide sufficient professional learning resources,strengthen ties with primary and secondary schools to provide real classroom practice opportunities for specialized masters.Moreover,the curriculum design should consider a higher requirement for mathematical software learning.