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1、Inquiry Teaching and Learning: The Best Math Class StudyAbstract：This research reports on prospective middle school teachers perceptions of a “best mathematics class” during their involvement in an inquiry-designed mathematics content course. Grounded in the prestigious Glenn Commission report (U.S.
2、 Department of Education, 2000), the study examined the prospective teachers perceptions of effective mathematics instruction both prior to and after completing the inquiry course. Pre-essay analysis revealed that students could be grouped into one of two categories: the Watch-Learn-Practice view an
3、d the Self as Initiator view. Post-essay analysis indicated that over two thirds of all students involved in the study changed their views of a best math class after the inquiry courses. The Watch-Learn-Practice groups changes focused on developing reasoning skills and learning how one “knows” in ma
4、thematics. The Self as Initiator group noted expanded roles for the students, particularly emphasizing the importance of going beyond basic requirements to think deeply about the why and how of mathematics and expanded views of the benefits of group learning.Before Its Too Late, the prestigious Glen
5、n Commission report (U.S. Department of Education, 2000), boldly stated that the economic and democratic foundations of our country are in serious jeopardy unless we produce students who understand and can use fundamental ideas from mathematics. Characterizing todays students as “simply not world-cl
6、ass learners” (p. 4), Commission Chair Senator John Glenn suggested that the solution to poor student performance rests with the improvement of teaching: “after an extensive review of what is happening in our classrooms, the Commission has concluded that the most powerful instrument for changelies a
7、t the very core of educationwith teaching itself” (p. 5). The Commission asserted that teaching must change from the “numbingly predictable” (p. 20) teacher-centered, lecture-dominated approaches commonly used in todays classrooms to student-centered, inquiry-based methodologies based on the Princip
8、les and Standards for School Mathematics (Standards; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000) that engage students in the processes of learning and creating mathematics:In high-quality teaching, the process of inquiry, not merely “giving instruction,” is the very heart of what teachers do.
9、 Inquiry not only tests what students know, it presses students to put what they know to the test. It uses “hands on” approaches to learning, in which students participate in activities, exercises, and real-life situations to both learn and apply lesson content. It teaches students not only what to
10、learn but how to learn. (p. 22)Partly in response to the Glenn Commission Report, the Middle Childhood Mathematics Inquiry Learning Project (Wanko, Johnson, Keiser, & Stonewater, 2001) was designed to implement an inquiry-based undergraduate mathematics curriculum for prospective middle school mathe
11、matics teachers enrolled at a large midwestern University. The longitudinal research component of the project examined the growth of the students as inquiry learners and prospective teachers, especially with regard to the development of their mathematical thinking (Wanko, 2003), their ability to app
12、ly inquiry skills in learning mathematics (Keiser, 2003), and what they perceived to be characteristics of effective mathematics instruction both before and after experiencing inquiry mathematics courses (Johnson, 2003; Stonewater, 2003). It is this last item preservice teachers perceptions of effec
13、tive mathematics instruction that is the focus of the “Best Math Class” study reported here.This research reports preservice teachers perceptions of effective mathematics instruction both prior to and after completing an inquiry-designed mathematics course. The researchers were interested in knowing
14、 what these perceptions were and if these perceptions changed after the students experienced inquiry-based instruction. As is outlined in the following review of the literature, teachers perceptions of mathematics instruction influence how they design and deliver classroom instruction. Thus, if teac
15、hing is to move from the “numbingly predictable” status quo to the inquiry-oriented approaches advocated by the NCTM Standards and the Glenn Commission, a necessary, although not sufficient, condition for this change rests with teachers perceptions of a “best” math class. Certainly, these perception
16、s are indeed affected by the kinds of instruction they experience as students.Review of LiteratureNumerous researchers have connected teachers perceptions of mathematics instruction to the ways in which they teach (Robitaille, 1994; Sowder, Philipp, Armstrong, & Schappelle, 1998). In a study of teachers involved in mathematics education reforms, Simon, Tzur, Heinz, Kinzel, and Smith (2000) found that teachers who were involved in classes in which they conduct
