Summary of a Journal Related to TPACK #3

USING THE INTERNET IN HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

Esther Yook-Kin Loong, Deakin University, Australia (2014)

While the technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) model has been increasingly adopted for understanding teachers’ use of technology, there have been many calls for greater discussion about the constituent constructs, their relationship with one another and the central TPACK. This study analyses qualitatively the TPACK demonstrated by the teacher

This case study was part of a broader study where the teacher participated in a survey on the use of the Internet for secondary mathematics teaching. A mixed methods approach was used. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to ascertain how the teacher used the Internet in a mathematics assessment task and the students’ perceptions of that approach. Data collection methods included an initial teacher interview prior to classroom observations, classroom observations, post-lesson student interviews and post lesson teacher interviews. A questionnaire survey on student attitudes to and perceptions of the use of the Internet in mathematics lessons was completed by students at the end of the observations.

This case study illustrates the extent to which a teacher’s TPACK of the Internet and Microsoft Excel software resulted in an enactment of technology use in a Business Mathematics classroom. While the pedagogical intent of the teacher was to use the Internet to save time and to discuss the mathematical content by comparing the calculations using bank calculators and the spreadsheet software, the data indicated that student perceptions of this approach were mixed. Although the study showed that the assessment goals were met and the Internet and Excel software were tools used to accomplish that, there was little evidence to suggest that students experienced a transformation in their mathematical learning. Management of the academic learning time was seen by the teacher as an area that needed to be reviewed and improved so that the important aspects of mathematical analysis and application take precedence over collecting data with the help of the Internet.