A learning experience in and from practice using digital technologies: the mathematical discussion

In this contribution we report on an experimental research developed with Pre-Service primary Teachers (PSTs) in the Project Digimath, with the aim to give PSTs the opportunity to learn in and from the practice. For doing this we foster the Mathematical Discussion (MD) theoretical framework’s learning (Bartolini Bussi, 1989). We explored the effectiveness of a new theoretical approach that combines Shulman’s (1986) research about the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Ball’s Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) (2008) and further research on how practice can be used for teachers’ learning and what is relevant to learn in and from practice (Ball & Even, 2009), in a digital environment. We noticed that to become aware of professional education and development of mathematics teachers and of specific characteristics of the teachers’ actions, playing different roles (student - PST) is fundamental. Our work was developed with 160 PSTs attending the Mathematics Education Course at the University of Bari. The MD has been at the same time the subject of the lecture and the methodology used during the lecture, both in a digital environment and personally. This choice has been done with two different aims: the construction of the MD’s characteristics and the way to manage MD in the future professional practice. The experimental activities have been held using hybrid teaching and were videotaped. Conversations have been transcribed and have been used to analyze the teaching experiments. As we expected, from the transcriptions’ analysis, it emerged that the PTSs became aware of the MD’s value. In and from their own practice they learned how to manage MD in class, in a future perspective.