Representations of Concepts as a Catalyst for Change in Teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Abstract

Increased pressure to improve teaching quality has intensified the emphasis on the development of conceptual understanding in mathematics rather than reliance on procedural understanding. A particularly problematic content area is fractions. This article explores the shifts in pedagogical content knowledge for fractions in a group of 12 primary teachers during a professional learning project. Responses to a ‘before and after’ fractions task and reflective comments revealed the majority of teachers developed a more comprehensive understanding. We propose that emphasizing different representations of fractions for teaching, especially number lines and grids, has the potential to positively influence teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge.