Building a Case-Based Curriculum to Enhance the Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Mathematics Teachers

Abstract

Little attention has been given to research on cases in specific disciplines or on the development of an integrated case-based curriculum. In this article, I discuss how the cognitive flexibility and knowledge transfer theory proposed by Rand Spiro and his colleagues frames the design of a case-based curriculum for use in mathematics teacher education. The paper includes a sample mathematics teaching case and presents an analysis of four discussions based on that case. In the analysis, the dominant themes of those case discussions are identified and a framework for selecting and sequencing cases for an integrated curriculum is discussed. The analysis also shows the potential of subject-specific cases for enhancing mathematics teachers' pedagogical thinking and reasoning.