Mathematics education ITE students examining the value of digital learning objects

Abstract

One issue in mathematics initial teacher education (ITE) is how to best support students to use digital technologies (DTs) to enhance their teaching of mathematics. While most ITE students are probably using DTs on a daily basis for personal use, they are often unfamiliar with using them for educative purposes in New Zealand primary school settings. Our mathematics education programme is finding ways to address this issue, beginning with a small research project. The study’s aim is to support ITE students to develop critical thinking, confidence, knowledge and skill using DTs in teaching and learning. This paper arises from the larger action research study that sought 40 Year two ITE students’ perceptions about the mathematical content of particular Digital Learning Objects (DLOs) promoted by the Ministry of Education, and how these might be used with learners in the classroom. Key research methods were survey instruments, field notes and classroom observations. Findings from two questions in student perception surveys (centred on any mathematics concepts and skills they thought the relevant DLOs would support children’s learning, plus how these same DLOs could be used in primary classrooms) suggest that they would mainly use the DLOs to consolidate ideas already taught or learned.