Interpreting the Knowledge Mobilised by Prospective Teachers for Addressing in Learning Polyhedra

Overview & Synopsis

This study provides an interpretation and categorisation of the knowledge mobilised by six preservice primary teachers regarding potential difficulties facing pupils and their modes of reasoning when studying polyhedra. It analyses the collective reflections the prospective teachers make as they carry out a training activity based on the transcription of a recording of a lesson on visualising polyhedra. The extract features a teacher working with six pupils in fifth grade of primary school (10-year-olds) giving their reasoning about how to count the number of edges on a cube. The results show that the prospective teachers are aware of various characteristics of learning about polyhedra, which are underpinned by personal theories (beliefs and conceptions), which are consistent with formal theories in the research community. Nevertheless, there is evidence that some of the preservice teachers need to reinforce their knowledge of the mathematics of polyhedra.