Paper Presentation
room KA 102
Teachers’ knowledge for teaching mathematics to braille readers
van Leendert, Annemiek, Royal Visio, Utrecht, Netherlands | Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands Doorman, Michiel, Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands Drijvers, Paul, Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands Pel, Johan, Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands van der Steen, Johannes, Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Braille readers use a braille display and Text-To-Speech synthesizer in mathematics lessons in secondary education. Appropriate use of these devices is an essential condition for learning mathematics and offers opportunities to improve learning. This places high demands on teachers. They must have technological, pedagogical and content knowledge and skills (TPACK) to exploit the potential of these devices in mathematics education. A professional development course has been developed to address this issue. Five mathematics teachers of braille readers took part in this course. Data include interviews, evaluations and case studies. The development of teachers’ TPACK knowledge was analyzed, and an overview of the course’s characteristics that helped to develop this knowledge was set up. The results show a small positive effect of the course. In this study, teachers’ knowledge of assistive technology and mathematics was less than expected. It was not possible to brush up the mathematics required for their teaching during such a short course. We conclude that content-related activities within PD courses need a subtle balance between building upon teachers’ knowledge and providing (challenging) applications.
