Steketee, C., & McNaught, K. (2007). The complexities for new graduates planning mathematics based on student need. 30th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia.
During 2006, two teams of preservice teachers spent a week in three rural schools and completed diagnostic assessment tasks in mathematics using the Nelson Numeracy Assessment Kit. The classes that were assessed were all being taught by newly graduated teachers. The results were collated into detailed profiles, which enabled these teachers to identify whole class, small group, and individual strengths and weaknesses. It was anticipated that the new graduates would find these profiles of great benefit in planning for mathematics. However, the teacher-educators who continued to work with the new graduates discovered that this assumption was flawed, and that the new graduates experienced difficulty in planning curriculum based on identified needs. This paper discusses the typical approaches to curriculum planning adopted by the teachers, which were largely teacher-centred.
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