Teaching for Mathematical Dispositions as Well as for Understanding: The Difference Between Reacting to and Advocating for Dispositional Learning

Résumé

Mathematics teachers know the value of teaching for understanding and to listen for students' sense-making. However, the importance of teaching for a mathematical disposition needs to be recognized as equally valuable and we need to explore more aspects of developing it. In previous studies, the work with dispositions has focused on using rich problems to enable positive dispositions. This study, however, emphasizes the importance of teachers thinking about students as dispositional learners. More specifically, two vignettes are presented in which the teacher's role and perceptions played an equally important role in noticing and developing the students' mathematical dispositions.