Pre-service primary teachers’ conceptions of creativity in mathematics

Abstract

. (2010) 'Pre-service primary teachers' conceptions of creativity in mathematics.', Educational studies in mathematics., 73 (2). pp. 143-157. Further information on publisher's website:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10649-009-9207-z Publisher's copyright statement:The nal publication is available at www.springerlink.com Additional information: Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Abstract Teachers in the UK and elsewhere are now expected to foster creativity in young children (NACCCE, 1999;Ofsted, 2003;DfES, 2003;DfES/DCMS, 2006).Creativity, however, is more often associated with the arts than with mathematics.The aim of the study was to explore and document pre-service i primary teachers" conceptions of creativity in mathematics teaching in the UK. A questionnaire probed their conceptions early in their course and these were supplemented with data from semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the responses indicated that pre-service teachers" conceptions were narrow, predominantly associated with the use of resources and technology and bound up with the idea of "teaching creatively" rather than "teaching for creativity". Conceptions became less narrow as pre-service teachers were preparing to enter schools as newly qualified but they still had difficulty in identifying ways of encouraging and assessing creativity in the classroom. This difficulty suggests that conceptions of creativity need to be addressed and developed directly during pre-service education if teachers are to meet the expectations of government as set out in the above documents.

Pensamiento matemático y creatividad a través de la invención y resolución de problemas matemáticos

“…Consiste en construir algo nuevo liberándose previamente de los modos de pensar establecidos, viendo distintas posibilidades y aplicando una gama variada de conocimientos matemáticos (Bolden, Harries & Newton, 2010). La justificación para llevar a cabo esto es la flexibilidad cognitiva, una de las tres funciones mentales principales que están implicadas en la solución creativa de problemas (Ausubel, 1963(Ausubel, , 2000.…”

Creativity from Two Perspectives: Prospective Mathematics Teachers and Mathematician

“…It has been defined in various ways, with some definitions focusing on the process and others stressing the creative product (Haylock, 1987;Kattou, Kontoyianni, & Christou, 2009;. Producing something authentic or original via a personal activity is a common basis of these definitions (Bolden et al, 2010;Sriraman, 2004). Guilford (1950) made a distinction between convergent thinking, which provides only one correct solution to a problem, and divergent thinking, which involves creatively generating multiple solutions to a problem.…”

“…Student-directed creativity relates to the opportunities given that foster student creativity. Bolden et al (2010) found that prospective elementary teachers understand two types of creativity in mathematics lessons: creative teaching and creative learning. Creative teaching involves the creative use by teachers of resources and the application of mathematics to everyday examples.…”

“…Shriki (2010) argued that teachers have insufficient knowledge regarding creativity. Bolden et al (2010) analyzed the written questionnaires and semi-structured interviews of prospective elementary school teachers regarding their conceptions of creativity, and revealed that these conceptions were narrow and related only to their own actions. In another study, teachers described a creative environment as one in which there are open-ended activities and non-routine problems, and that such environments provide students with the freedom to apply imaginative ideas and discover novel methods (Shriki, 2008).…”

“…Sriraman (2004) reported that "Mathematical creativity ensures the growth of the field of mathematics as a whole" (p.19). Creativity arises not only from mathematical knowledge but also from the ability to think outside typical mindsets to envision potential possibilities and apply various aspects of mathematical knowledge for realizing opportunities (Bolden, Harries, & Newton, 2010). It is not surprising that both mathematicians and mathematics educators appreciate the role of creativity in doing mathematics (Levenson, 2013;Sriraman, 2004).…”