Several studies have indicated that children come to school with a set of prior mathematical knowledge.Preschool mathematics teaching usually takes place in playful contexts and has a less formal character making teaching mathematics in such a scenario complex.Disciplinary knowledge is no longer sufficient but must be intertwined with pedagogical knowledge to ''mathematise'' experience.This emerges in the concept proposed by Shulman of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) referring to a dimension that goes beyond knowledge of subject matter per se to the dimension of subject matter knowledge for teaching.Shulman's reflections have been revised however,they have a significant impact on the enhancement of the role of teachers and their professional development.The focus of our research is related to the teaching of mathematics in preschool, therefore the reflection related to PCK concerns this context and this specific subject matter.PCK-related research has mainly been conducted in relation to the teaching of science and mathematics.However,while for science education there is a systematic review related to the way in which teaching research has embraced the notion of PCK,this has not occurred in relation to the teaching of mathematics.Additionally,very few researchers focused on teachers of children under five years of age.The small number of studies carried out in Europe together with the limited attention paid to the preschool context led to the conclusion that a theoretical review is necessary.A reconceptualization of PCK concerning preschool children’s teaching involves these components: noticing mathematical situations in which children are engaged;interpreting the nature of children’s math activity;and enhancing children’s mathematical thinking and understanding.It was thus decided to complement the theoretical study with semi-structured interviews to understand how preschool teachers deal with children's knowledge,to answer the research question:How do preschool teachers notice interpret,and enhance mathematical thinking and content in children's play and in unstructured learning moments?Teachers working in a preschool context sometimes find it difficult to explain their knowledge explicitly while displaying implicit knowledge in their work.Valuing their knowledge,it is more appropriate to use an approach that,starting from an analysis of some concrete situations,allows researchers to analyse their PCK.The use of teaching scenarios allows the questions to be contextualised in a way that they are similar to the types of dilemmas that teachers encounter.The study proposes a qualitative analysis of the PCK of preschool teachers,not aiming to generalise the results but to obtain an in-depth analysis of phenomena through a descriptive approach.Therefore,we don’t need a high number of participating subjects focusing on the involvement of key informants.No prior selections were made but schools and teachers were contacted,and all those available were involved.We obtained the consent of 25 teachers working in preschools in the Brescia area.Teachers were asked to note and interpret the mathematical concepts in the sequence as well as suggest activities to enhance the children's mathematical competence.Starting with a review of the international literature we defined the analysis categories of the interviews that were video and audio recorded and then transcribed.Starting from the categories described in the international context with reference to this scenario intertwined with the Italian ministerial texts (Indicazioni Nazionali),the categories relating to the different mathematical concepts present in the situation shown were outlined.The intention of the research is to offer food for thought regarding the state of the art of PCK and,thanks to the teachers' accounts,to describe some didactic choices for promoting children's mathematical competences.
Diverse ricerche mostrano come i bambini giungano a scuola con diverse competenze.L'insegnamento della matematica prescolare è integrato in contesti ludici e ha un carattere meno formale rispetto ad altri contesti scolastici.Queste peculiarità evidenziano come la didattica in tale scenario sia complessa e richieda specifiche competenze.Per perseguire tale obiettivo la conoscenza disciplinare non è sufficiente, ma deve intrecciarsi con una conoscenza pedagogica che consenta di “matematizzare” l’esperienza.Questa fusione emerge nel concetto, proposto da Shulman, di Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) che si riferisce ad una dimensione che supera la sola conoscenza disciplinare per orientarsi verso la conoscenza della materia per l'insegnamento.Le riflessioni di Shulman sono state nel tempo riviste, ma hanno avuto un impatto significativo sulla formazione del corpo docente.Il focus della nostra ricerca è legato all'insegnamento della matematica in età prescolare, pertanto le riflessioni relative al PCK riguardano questo contesto e questo specifico ambito disciplinare.La ricerca relativa al PCK è stata condotta principalmente in relazione all'insegnamento delle scienze e della matematica.Tuttavia,mentre per l'educazione scientifica vi è una revisione sistematica relativa al modo in cui la ricerca ha abbracciato la nozione di PCK,questo non si è verificato in relazione all'insegnamento della matematica.Inoltre,pochissimi ricercatori si sono concentrati su docenti che lavorano con bambini sotto i cinque anni.Il numero ridotto di studi condotti nel contesto europeo, unito ad un’esigua attenzione nei confronti del contesto prescolare evidenziano come sia necessaria una revisione della letteratura.Una ri-concettualizzazione del PCK nell’Early Mathematics rappresenta, in tal senso, l’abilità dei docenti di:notare la varietà di situazioni matematiche nelle attività quotidiane o nel gioco dei bambini;interpretare tali situazioni sulla base di contenuti matematici prescolari;implementare il pensiero matematico dei discenti in relazione a quanto notato e interpretato.Accanto ad uno studio teorico,si è scelto di condurre alcune interviste semi-strutturate al fine di rispondere alla domanda di ricerca:Come gli insegnanti della scuola dell’infanzia notano, interpretano e supportano lo sviluppo del pensiero logico matematico a partire da momenti ludici o non strutturati?I docenti che lavorano nel un contesto prescolare talvolta faticano a spiegare le proprie conoscenze in modo esplicito pur mostrando molteplici competenze nel proprio lavoro.Per valorizzare il loro sapere, appare più adatto un approccio che, a partire dall’analisi di situazioni concrete,consenta ai ricercatori di analizzare il loro PCK.L'uso di scenari didattici consente, infatti, di contestualizzare le domande in modo che esse siano simili ai dilemmi che incontrano gli insegnanti.Lo studio propone quindi un'analisi qualitativa del PCK non al fine di generalizzare i risultati ma con l’intento di condurre una riflessione sui fenomeni.La scelta dei partecipanti non è quindi numerosa e casuale.Non sono pertanto state effettuate selezioni sui docenti da coinvolgere,ma sono state contattate diverse scuole dell’infanzia ottenendo il consenso di 25 maestri che lavorano in alcune scuole dell’infanzia di Brescia.I docenti sono stati invitati a notare e interpretare gli elementi matematici presenti nella sequenza,oltre a suggerire attività per implementare le competenze dei bambini.Le interviste condotte sono state audio registrate e, infine,trascritte.A partire da una revisione della letteratura sono state poi definite le categorie di analisi.L’intento della ricerca condotta e quindi volto ad offrire spunti di riflessione sullo stato dell'arte relativo al PCK e,grazie ai racconti degli insegnanti,descrivere alcune scelte didattiche intraprese dai docenti per promuovere le competenze matematiche dei bambini.
Ricerca e Didattica nella Scuola dell’Infanzia: quando la teoria si intreccia con le voci degli insegnanti / Leonardi, Laura. - (2023 Jun 06).
Ricerca e Didattica nella Scuola dell’Infanzia: quando la teoria si intreccia con le voci degli insegnanti.
LEONARDI, LAURA
2023
Abstract
Several studies have indicated that children come to school with a set of prior mathematical knowledge.Preschool mathematics teaching usually takes place in playful contexts and has a less formal character making teaching mathematics in such a scenario complex.Disciplinary knowledge is no longer sufficient but must be intertwined with pedagogical knowledge to ''mathematise'' experience.This emerges in the concept proposed by Shulman of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) referring to a dimension that goes beyond knowledge of subject matter per se to the dimension of subject matter knowledge for teaching.Shulman's reflections have been revised however,they have a significant impact on the enhancement of the role of teachers and their professional development.The focus of our research is related to the teaching of mathematics in preschool, therefore the reflection related to PCK concerns this context and this specific subject matter.PCK-related research has mainly been conducted in relation to the teaching of science and mathematics.However,while for science education there is a systematic review related to the way in which teaching research has embraced the notion of PCK,this has not occurred in relation to the teaching of mathematics.Additionally,very few researchers focused on teachers of children under five years of age.The small number of studies carried out in Europe together with the limited attention paid to the preschool context led to the conclusion that a theoretical review is necessary.A reconceptualization of PCK concerning preschool children’s teaching involves these components: noticing mathematical situations in which children are engaged;interpreting the nature of children’s math activity;and enhancing children’s mathematical thinking and understanding.It was thus decided to complement the theoretical study with semi-structured interviews to understand how preschool teachers deal with children's knowledge,to answer the research question:How do preschool teachers notice interpret,and enhance mathematical thinking and content in children's play and in unstructured learning moments?Teachers working in a preschool context sometimes find it difficult to explain their knowledge explicitly while displaying implicit knowledge in their work.Valuing their knowledge,it is more appropriate to use an approach that,starting from an analysis of some concrete situations,allows researchers to analyse their PCK.The use of teaching scenarios allows the questions to be contextualised in a way that they are similar to the types of dilemmas that teachers encounter.The study proposes a qualitative analysis of the PCK of preschool teachers,not aiming to generalise the results but to obtain an in-depth analysis of phenomena through a descriptive approach.Therefore,we don’t need a high number of participating subjects focusing on the involvement of key informants.No prior selections were made but schools and teachers were contacted,and all those available were involved.We obtained the consent of 25 teachers working in preschools in the Brescia area.Teachers were asked to note and interpret the mathematical concepts in the sequence as well as suggest activities to enhance the children's mathematical competence.Starting with a review of the international literature we defined the analysis categories of the interviews that were video and audio recorded and then transcribed.Starting from the categories described in the international context with reference to this scenario intertwined with the Italian ministerial texts (Indicazioni Nazionali),the categories relating to the different mathematical concepts present in the situation shown were outlined.The intention of the research is to offer food for thought regarding the state of the art of PCK and,thanks to the teachers' accounts,to describe some didactic choices for promoting children's mathematical competences.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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