Mathematical Content Understanding for Teaching: A Study of Undergraduate STEM Majors

Xiaoxia A. Newton¹, Rebecca C. Poon²

¹Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
²Cal Teach Program, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ce.2015.610101                

Abstract

This paper investigates the nature of mathematical understanding that is needed to teach three foundational early algebra topics. These three topics include dividing fractions, linear equation in two variables and its graph, and quadratic function and its graph. Data from a sample of undergraduate STEM majors in a major research university affirm the importance of developing what Shulman (1999) calls “far more effective mathematics courses in U.S. undergraduate program” in order to equip future mathematics teachers with profound mathematical content understanding for teaching fundamental mathematics (Ma, 1999).

Keywords

Mathematical Understanding, Mathematics Teacher Education, Pre-Service Content Training

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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