Understanding Inverse Functions: The Relationship Between Teaching Practice and Student Learning Researchers: Ibrahim Bayazit Eddie Gray m Presented by Jena M. Rainey

Purpose of the Study The purpose of this qualitative study is to provide insight into how a teacher’s instructional practices impact students’ learning. Bibliographic Citation Bayazit, I & Gray, E. (2004). Understanding inverse functions: The relationship between teaching practice and student learning. Proceedings of the 28th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Norway, 2,

Research Question How does a teacher’s instructional practices impact the way students learn? What role do constructivist principles play in instructional practices of teachers?

Methodology Classroom observations were conducted to collect data about teaching practices. – Two high school teachers selected for study Researchers audio taped lessons and took field notes Pre-test and Post-test student questionnaires – 9 th grade students

Results/Findings Results are presented in two tables – Table 1: Noticeable aspects of teacher practice – Table 2: Student answer distribution Arranged by methods used and correctness Qualitatively different teaching practices produce qualitatively different learning outcomes

Results/Findings cont’d Students should experience conceptually focused and cognitively challenging tasks that use a variety of representations when seeking meaningful understandings of new concepts.

Discussion Demographic information not included in study. Selection process for participants not discussed. Variety of variables due to social complexity

Implications A teacher’s ability to utilize students’ previous knowledge and provide relevance through connections with real-world math problems must be coupled with a variety of “appropriate representational systems” that insure students are actively involved in the process of knowledge constructivism through “conceptually focused and cognitively challenging tasks” (Bayazit & Gray, 2004, p. 109).

Implications cont’d Teachers should be exposed to current research about constructivist classrooms and trained in constructivist teaching methods. It is clear that more research is needed in this field and teacher leaders should be encouraged to conduct action research on constructivist teaching methods.

Conclusion Due to a variety of variables introduced through social complexity, researchers can’t establish a cause-and-effect relationship between teacher-practice and student learning. Nevertheless, this study provides promising implications for constructivist teaching strategies that warrant further research and investigation.