Workshop
room KG5 104
Professional development materials for preschool teachers
Tirosh, Dina, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Tsamir, Pessia, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel Barkai, Ruthi, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel | Kibbutzim College of Education, Tel Aviv, Israel Levenson, Esther, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
The aim of our proposed workshop is to demonstrate how materials and tasks that were designed by us and have been implemented with teachers and with children can be used to promote different aspects of teachers’ knowledge. We intend to discuss with participants of the workshop possible affordances and constraints of the materials and task designs. The mathematical content will stem from three key domains: numbers, geometry, and patterns. In our program, we often simulate playing with children with these materials. This type of simulation allows teachers to confront, in a gentle and respectful manner, their own conceptions and serves as a springboard for a thorough discussion of common errors, promoting also their knowledge of children’s conceptions. We will demonstrate such simulations during the workshop. As in our program, workshop participants will be invited to take part in these simulations, and then reflect on how such simulations may promote teachers’ knowledge of mathematics, tasks, children, and teaching. Participants will be afforded opportunities to actively engage in writing their own scripts to accompany materials, and discuss how the materials and tasks, along with the scripts, may be used in PD for teachers of different aged children, allowing for possible scaling-up.
