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Patricia Eaton (Stranmillis University
College) and
Maurice OReilly (CASTeL,
St Patrick's College Drumcondra)
have been researching the Mathematical Identity of Student
Teachers (MIST) since 2008.
The research project is supported by SCoTENS.
The following conference presentations of MIST
research to date:
 | What
other people think and why it matters? An investigation of key influences on
mathematical identity, 34th
ATEE, Palma de Mallorca, August-September 2009. |
| Exploring
mathematical identity as a tool for self-reflection amongst pre-service
primary school teachers: “I think you have to be able to explain something
in about 100 different ways”, 10th
ME 21C, Dresden, September 2009. |
| Who
am I and how did I get here? Exploring the Mathematical Identity of Student
Teachers, MEI
3, Dublin, September 2009. |
| What
is mathematics and why do we study it? The views of student teachers, 35th
ATEE, Budapest, August 2010. |
| Mathematical
borders? Comparing student teachers' mathematical identity in Ireland North
and South, Re-imagining Initial
Teacher Education, Dublin, June 2011. |
There was an event on Friday 7th May 2010 from
10:00 until 16:00 in St Patrick's College in Room
F201 to bring
together various strands of this research and to disseminate our findings in a workshop
setting.
Target audience: teachers/lecturers, researchers
and policy makers from the mathematics
education, mathematics and education
communities in Ireland (North and South) with an interest in the key questions
(see below) relating to mathematical identity to be addressed at the workshop.
Mathematical
identity (MI) is considered as the multi-faceted relationship that an
individual has with mathematics, including knowledge and experiences,
perceptions of oneself and others. Understanding student teachers’
mathematical identity is of critical importance because, as is widely indicated
in the literature, it is likely to have a major impact on their behaviour as a
teacher. Indeed,
paying attention to mathematical identity is relevant for all students studying
mathematics, for their teachers/lecturers and for researchers in mathematics and
mathematics education. The lens of mathematical identity helps focus on
questions such as why individuals choose to study maths and why they persist in
the discipline or leave it.
Facilitator:
Prof. Claire Lyons, Head of the Department of Learning, Society and Religious
Education, MICL
Keynote presenters:
| Dr Maurice OReilly, MIST
researcher, CASTeL, St Patrick's College |
| Dr
Patricia Eaton, MIST researcher, Stranmillis University College |
| Dr Dolores
Corcoran, Education Department, St Patrick's College |
| Dr Miriam
Liston, Project Officer for Mathematics, NCE-MSTL
|
| Dr Aisling
McCluskey, Mathematics Department, NUI
Galway |
| Dr Nick Todd, Education and Training Inspectorate, Northern Ireland
|
Schedule:
09:45 Welcome
10:00 - 11:30 Plenary session with six short presentations
11:30 - 12:00 Break
12:00 - 12:50 Group discussion: groups 1, 2 & 3
12:50 - 13:00 Feedback to plenary
13:00 - 14:15 Lunch
14:15 - c.14:30 Group discussion: groups A, B, C & D
c.14:30 - 15:30 Group discussion: groups A & B (combined) and groups C
& D (combined)
15:30 - 16:00 Closing plenary
Key questions addressed:
| What's in MIST for us as individuals?
 | Why is Mathematical Identity (MI) important in my work? |
|
| What's in MIST for us collectively as a community of practice?
| What insights on MI can we gain from one another? |
| What research collaborations in MI might be fruitful? |
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| What's in MIST for our students?
| How can awareness of MI support students in their mathematical
development? |
| How can MI be harnessed to attract more students into mathematics? |
|
The exploration of these questions was informed by participants' own
experience. Here
is a report on the day.
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