Development of Knowledge for Teaching Mathematical Definitions in a Co-learning Inquiry Community of Teachers and Researchers

This study deals with teacher learning with researchers-as-partners. We investigated the development of teachers’ knowledge for teaching mathematical definitions in a co-learning inquiry community of teachers and researchers. These teachers wrote reflective journals about problems identified in their teaching practices, raised mathematical or didactic issues, and gathered to discuss the issues with other teachers and researchers in the community. Under a qualitative case study approach, we analyzed reflective journals of teachers and transcription of group discussions in terms of reflection types, developed knowledge, and characteristics of inquiry. Findings show that communal inquiry of teachers and researchers, mediating self- and joint-reflection, promoted development of knowledge for teaching mathematical definitions. We term the norms that represent inquiry stance of the members in this co-learning community as communal responsibilities of questioning and communal responsibilities of answering.-