Annotated Bibliography: Teacher Development and Student Learning

This annotated bibliography examines three scholarly articles related to teacher development, focusing on how teachers can leverage students' prior knowledge to enhance learning. The first article explores how professional development interventions, such as lesson study and video clubs, influence teachers' ability to recognize and respond to students' existing knowledge in geometry instruction. The second article investigates geometry teachers' perspectives on using realistic contexts in mathematics to elicit students' prior knowledge, identifying characteristics that promote student engagement and understanding. The final article delves into students' interpretations of evolutionary trees, highlighting how prior misconceptions can impact their ability to reason from diagrammatic information. The bibliography includes summaries of each article, reflective paragraphs on knowledge learned, the role of teachers and students, teaching strategies, and a classroom activity designed to apply the concepts discussed.

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Name of the student:
Name of the University
Author Note:

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González, G. (2017). Teachers' Understandings of Realistic Contexts to Capitalize on
Students' Prior Knowledge. School Science and Mathematics, 117(7-8), 329-340.
According to the theory of realistic mathematics education, when the problems of
mathematics are based on real-life, they tend to be more interesting. It leads to the more
engagement of the students towards the problems of mathematics (Bereiter 2014). When the
problems of mathematics are based on the reality, it even makes the students understand the
value of mathematics and even enables the students to apply their knowledge of the real-life to
the solving of the problem. Thus, the realistic approach of mathematics tends to maximize the
understanding of the students. However, it is also the responsibility of the teachers to make the
students understand the problem of mathematics in a realistic manner. It is the duty of the teacher
to understand the students and implement the methods or policies of teaching accordingly. two
main perspectives of teaching mathematics dominate this theme, out of which rationale
mathematics education is one of the theory and the second theory is that of the practical
rationality of mathematics teaching. Hence it can be understood that the main theme that
dominated this study is the interconnection of the practical learning of the student’s to the
practical teachings of the teachers. Both are thoroughly interconnected (González, 2017).
The knowledge that is being learnt from this study is that when studies are being taught in
a practical manner or are based on reality, it tends to have a great impact on the students.
However, when academic knowledge is clearer to the student’s, they succeed in making a clear
connection between the bookish knowledge and reality. Therefore, knowledge should not be
restricted to books only. However, in this context, the main role is that of the teachers. It is the

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duty of the teachers to teach the students in an effective manner that is based on the reality and in
a way they can understand the concepts clearly and have a new perspective to the same
problems. It is the duty of the teacher to teach in a “catchy” way, not teach things that are “fake”
or with which the students cannot relate in their real-life instances (Elbaz, 2018). If these are the
strategies that are being followed by the teachers in teaching their students, the students will be
progressive towards their development faster. Therefore, it can be denoted that the progressive
development of the students in their practical development is directly related to the teaching
method applied by the teachers who are teaching.
One of the classroom activity that can be seen as an example of teaching mathematics to
students by enabling them to link it with the practical world and enhance their specific
knowledge. If the problems of geometry are being linked with nature like the setting of the sun,
the students will be able to understand the concepts better (Asayama & Mae 2015). However, the
problems of geometry can also be linked with the architecture that one sees in their everyday life.
It can also be connected with technology and even with designing. Resembling with the real-life
will enable the students to understand mathematics better.

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References
Asayama, S., & Mae, T. (2015). Fractal Structures based on the Geometry of Nature. IASS Working
Groups, 12, 18.
Bereiter, C. (2014). Principled practical knowledge: Not a bridge but a ladder. Journal of the Learning
Sciences, 23(1), 4-17.
Elbaz, F. (2018). Teacher thinking: A study of practical knowledge. Routledge.
González, G. (2017). Teachers' Understandings of Realistic Contexts to Capitalize on Students' Prior
Knowledge. School Science and Mathematics, 117(7-8), 329-340.