Understanding the knowledge demands of teaching statistics: insights gained from examining practice

Abstract

This research examines the knowledge demands placed on 73 pre-service teachers who are observed as they plan, teach and re-teach data lessons in classrooms. Problems of practice are identified and categorized using the Ball, Thames and Phelps (2008) subdomains of common content knowledge (CCK), specialised content knowledge (SCK), knowledge of content and students (KCS) and knowledge of content and teaching (KCT). The results provide insights into the specific knowledge demands placed on early career teachers when teaching data and statistics and identifies the ways in which these knowledge demands are revealed as pre-service teachers engage in Japanese Lesson Study. The results illustrate that development of understandings in one knowledge subdomain can motivate and impact learning in another subdomain. These interrelationships were found to exist both within and between the domains of content and pedagogical content knowledge.