Conference paper
Exploring numeracy teacher identity: An adaptation of Valsiner's zone theory
Proceedings of the 2013 Australian Association for Research in Education Conference, pp.1-10
Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference, 2013 (Adelaide, Australia, 01-Dec-2013 - 05-Dec-2013)
Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE)
2013
Abstract
Numeracy is identified in the Australian Curriculum (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2012) as one of seven general capabilities that are to be developed across all curriculum areas, making the development of students' numeracy capabilities the responsibility of all teachers. As mathematics is the discipline that underpins numeracy, teachers must be able to identify the mathematics inherent in their own learning area and design appropriate learning activities in the context of this learning area. If they are to do this they must see themselves not only as teachers of their learning area but also as teachers of numeracy, in other words, develop an identity as a teacher of numeracy. An understanding of how teachers form and develop a numeracy teacher identity will assist in supporting them to develop effective strategies for numeracy learning in their learning area. This paper extends a framework for numeracy teacher identity (Bennison & Goos, 2013) developed through a literature review of teacher identity and explores how the development of numeracy teacher identity could be investigated empirically. The paper argues that an understanding of how the characteristics identified in the numeracy teacher identity framework interact and contribute to the development of numeracy teacher identity can be gained through a sociocultural approach that uses an adaptation of Valsiner's (1997) zone theory as the theoretical framework. The characteristics of the knowledge, affective, social and life history domains of the numeracy teacher identity framework are mapped onto the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), Zone of Free Movement (ZFM) and Zone of Promoted Action (ZPA). To illustrate how empirical data can be analysed through this theoretical framework two hypothetical case studies are described and the hypothetical data are mapped onto the ZPD, ZFM and ZPA to gain an understanding of each hypothetical teacher's numeracy teacher identity.
Details
- Title
- Exploring numeracy teacher identity: An adaptation of Valsiner's zone theory
- Authors
- Anne Bennison (Author) - University of QueenslandMerrilyn Goos (Author) - University of Queensland
- Publication details
- Proceedings of the 2013 Australian Association for Research in Education Conference, pp.1-10
- Conference details
- Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference, 2013 (Adelaide, Australia, 01-Dec-2013 - 05-Dec-2013)
- Publisher
- Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE)
- Organisation Unit
- School of Education and Tertiary Access; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99657597002621
- Output Type
- Conference paper
Metrics
24 Record Views