(Page 1 of 7) - Preservice Teachers Experiencing Mathematics through Moon Projects and Spinning Tops authored by Wilhelm, Jennifer., Cooper, Sandi. and McMillan, Sally.

PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS EXPERIENCING MATHEMATICS THROUGH

MOON PROJECTS AND SPINNING TOPS

Jennifer Wilhelm

Texas Tech University

Jennifer.## email not listed ##

Sandi Cooper

Texas Tech University

Sandi.## email not listed ##

Sally McMillan

Texas Tech University

Sally.## email not listed ##

This article describes inquiry-based environments we created in our mathematics methods
courses where we designed projects that allowed pre-service teachers to explore, investigate,
analyze, and communicate “investigable” realms of physical and mathematical phenomena. Our
goal was for students to experience the value of learning in an inquiry-enhanced environment, so
they would utilize this instruction in their future classrooms. Pre-service teachers were expected
to pursue their own conjectures, collect data, think critically, and communicate findings. Our
resulting data indicates how an inquiry-based environment enhanced the learning of
mathematical content and educational strategies for pre-service teachers.

Framing Literatures

Current research has shown that inquiry and higher-order thinking are directly connected

(Kelly, 1999). “Inquiry-based education sets the stage for bringing balance to how we instruct
children and adolescents. Not only do such frameworks open the way for diverse modes of
thought, but they also encapsulate the often unsung reality that much of our knowing emerges
from unknowing” (McMillan and Wilhelm, in progress).

For a number of years, inquiry has been a major focus of instruction in science and science

education. The National Science Education Standards or NSES (NRC, 1996) view inquiry as a
teaching approach beyond that of a process skill where “science as inquiry” is considered one of
NSES’ eight categories of content standards. The NSES state that students “should have the
opportunity to use scientific inquiry and develop the ability to think and act in ways associated
with inquiry, including asking questions, planning and conducting investigations, using
appropriate tools and techniques to gather data, thinking critically and logically about
relationships between evidence and explanations, constructing and analyzing alternative
explanations, and communicating scientific arguments” (p. 105).

So is inquiry the same in mathematics education? The current and revised National Principles

and Standards for School Mathematics or PSSM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics,
2000) clearly emphasize inquiry-oriented teaching as one of the best ways to facilitate
mathematics learning, but do not specifically list “inquiry” as a content or process standard.
However, the idea of inquiry is woven throughout the PSSM text where it describes how one
might go about enacting the PSSM’s five content standards and five process standards. For
example, the PSSM process standard of Reasoning and Proof states,

Doing mathematics involves discovery. Conjecture – that is, informed guessing-
is a major pathway to discovery. Teachers and researchers agree that students can
learn to make, refine, and test conjectures in elementary school. Beginning in the
earliest years, teachers can help students learn to make conjectures by asking
questions: What do you think will happen next? What is the pattern? Is this true
always? Sometimes? Simple shifts in how tasks are posed can help students
learn to conjecture…. To make conjectures, students need multiple opportunities
and rich, engaging contexts for learning (p. 57).