Masthematics Education Independent Study

Abstract A pre-elementary education student at West Virginia University completed an independent study on mathematics anxiety, which included reading research articles, keeping a journal, completing a research project, and writing a paper. This article will discuss details of the project and results from a survey that the student completed. In particular, the researchers found that writing a paper incorporating reviews of research articles relevant to the student was especially beneficial. However, this research supports recommendations that students need a support system before beginning similar projects. Introduction There have been calls for change in teacher education. For example, Nyaumwe, Mtetwa, and Brown (2005) open a debate about effective mentoring of preservice teachers. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) states that "effective teaching requires knowing and understanding mathematics, students as learners, and pedagogical strategies" (2000). Furthermore, other research highlights the critical role of content knowledge, pedagogy knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge in developing mathematics understanding (Fennema, & Franke, 1992). In addition, Wu (2004) suggests that professional development of teachers that includes pedagogical content knowledge is necessary for effective teaching. Efforts have been made to define exactly what should be included in preservice teacher education. Mohr (2006) describes current research on the subject and suggests that teacher preparation should be grade specific. Recently, there has been a push to include mathematics education research in the preparation of teachers. For example, the NCTM professional guidelines (2000) state that preservice education teachers should learn about mathematics education research and methods to ensure continued study of mathematics for students of all backgrounds. Research by D'Ambrosio and Campos (1992) shows that encouraging prospective teachers to reflect on research about students' learning helps the teachers to be more sensitive to the needs of students and to assess students' understanding. Meel (2002) states that understanding students' difficulties ". affects the choices a teacher makes about what to teach, how to teach it, how to organize the classroom, what techniques to use, how to individualize instruction, and what modifications will be made. " For these reasons, the authors were interested in working with an education major on a project combining mathematics education research and practical skills for the mathematics classroom. Early in 2004, fliers were posted advertising the independent study (IS). At the time, Ann was a student in the first author's College Algebra course and a preservice elementary education major. Due to mutual interest, Ann and the first author decided to work on a 2 credit IS project together and set up a meeting. The general guidelines for the IS were set out at this initial meeting. Several research topics were discussed, but Ann felt the most interested in mathematics anxiety; Ann felt that she suffered from mathematics anxiety herself. It was decided that the project would include reading research articles, keeping a journal, attending weekly meetings and monthly mathematics education research discussions in the department, completing a research project, writing a final paper, and giving a talk at a regional Mathematical Association of America (MAA) meeting. Early in 2006, Ann completed a survey about her experiences during the IS. This article discusses the specifics of the project, as well as Ann's reactions to the IS. Journal and Research Readings During the course of the IS, Ann kept a journal. In weekly meetings, the first author would give Ann assignments for the week, often including journal prompts. Ann was also encouraged to write whatever she wished in the journal; she reacted to many aspects of the IS and commented on the approximately 10 research articles related to mathematics anxiety that she read. …