Examining the Building and Coding Tasks Developed by Pre-service Mathematics Teachers in Terms of Curriculum Integration

Abstract

Interdisciplinary approach recommended for use in the teaching mathematics in the last decade, the related literature shows that limited study focused on the reflection of the interdisciplinary approach in teaching practice. The aim of this study is to evaluate pre-service mathematics teachers’ task development processes on interdisciplinary approaches through building and coding tasks. Research was conducted with 28 pre-service mathematics teachers studying at a mathematics education department in Turkey. Data were gathered from the analysis of lesson plans and semi-structured interviews. The findings that were obtained through the lesson plans of the participants indicated that participants were able to associate building tasks more with numbers content domain and mathematical modeling skills, and coding tasks with geometry content domain and algorithmic thinking skills. The participants stated that tasks involving coding in their lesson plans would be more useful in terms of teaching mathematics and listed the factors limiting the use of building tasks as technical knowledge and cost.

Interdisciplinary approach recommended for use in the teaching mathematics in the last decade, the related literature shows that limited study focused on the reflection of the interdisciplinary approach in teaching practice. The aim of this study is to evaluate pre-service mathematics teachers’ task development processes on interdisciplinary approaches through building and coding tasks. Research was conducted with 28 pre-service mathematics teachers studying at a mathematics education department in Turkey. Data were gathered from the analysis of lesson plans and semi-structured interviews. The findings that were obtained through the lesson plans of the participants indicated that participants were able to associate building tasks more with numbers content domain and mathematical modeling skills, and coding tasks with geometry content domain and algorithmic thinking skills. The participants stated that tasks involving coding in their lesson plans would be more useful in terms of teaching mathematics and listed the factors limiting the use of building tasks as technical knowledge and cost.