This paper is from Session 2F: Innovative approaches to improve pedagogical content knowledge at the school level

which comes under Topic 2: Statistics education at school level

High school teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge of variability

Presenter

• Sylvain Vermette (University of Québec at Trois-Rivières, Canada)

Co-author

• Linda Gattuso (University of Quebec at Montreal, Canada)

Abstract

This research sought to explore teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge of the concept of variability. Twelve mathematics high school teachers were tested on their knowledge of the concept of variability. Subjects were then asked to react when presented with scenarios describing students’ strategies, solutions and misconceptions when faced with a task based on the concept of variability. Outcomes of this study uncovered interesting teaching interventions that could prove useful to teachers faced with such scenarios. Results of both teachers’ tests and interviews revealed that teachers had difficulties and misconceptions related to the concept of variability. Furthermore, teachers’ reactions to some scenarios highlighted the influence of content knowledge of the concept of variability on the pedagogical content knowledge related to this concept.