Reflections of a Korean Middle School Mathematics Teacher on improving the Teaching of Mathematics

Abstract

Reflection with appropriate feedback plays an important role in enhancing professional development of teachers. This chapter reports how Teacher-K, an experienced middle school mathematics teacher, used the affordances of grounded images of five videoed lessons and the feedback offered by a mathematics educator to improve her teaching of mathematics that necessitates the incorporation of new curricular initiatives. Initial reflection of Teacher-K was limited in scope, but quantity and quality of reflection improved with each subsequent reflection session. The teacher reconsidered the critical teaching actions of each lesson, reorganises them and sought ways to improve her lesson. She demonstrated aspects of being a reflective practitioner by her willingness to apply these ideas to her teaching. This study showed this experienced teacher was not only concerned with teaching of mathematics in general but also the specific ideas of mathematics ignored by others as trivial. Mathematics educators have much to learn from such experienced teachers.