Expert

Study
Rebecca Brody
CI 4300 Dr. Ramirez
October 20, 2014

Artifact: Research Paper- Functions
Topic/Title: The History and Evolution of the Concept of a Function
Medium: Microsoft Word Document
Technology Used: Microsoft Word for word-processing and creating tables and
graphs, Internet Research, Text Research.

Artifact Identification and Rationale

I elected to analyze a research paper that I wrote in the spring of 2014 for

Introduction to the Logic and Structure of Mathematics II to illustrate my expertise in

mathematical content. All of the information was gathered from verifiably reliable
sources including textbooks, mathematical history texts, databases, and online
resources. The theme of my research, functions, included a specific focus on the
history and mathematical concept. In particular, the paper included a history of
functions, a description of their development over time, characteristics of linear and
exponential functions, authentic applications of linear and exponential functions,
and finally the characteristics and authentic applications of an additional function
family. In this case my additional function family was the quadratic family. The
function families were analyzed by exploring their increasing or decreasing nature,
domain and range, rate of change, concavity, asymptotes, intercepts, and
maxima/minima.

I feel that this artifact is an accurate representation of my content knowledge

at the time that it was written because the assignment instructions barred me from
examining functions through an educational lens and was instead written from a
mathematical learners perspective. Hence, I was forced to concentrate on my
mathematical knowledge of functions instead of my pedagogical understanding.
Additionally, I believe that this is the time in my mathematical education in which I
gained the most knowledge over a rather short period of time while also delving
deeper into the subject of functions than I had ever done before.

Analysis of Content Knowledge (Time of Artifact Completion)

Before being assigned my artifact, I prided myself on being above average as

it applied to functions and how to use them. I was always ahead of others in my class
and took math courses throughout high school and in the semesters before I took
the course that required this artifact. Prior to my research on functions I could easily
manipulate functions in problem solving scenarios and I might have been able to
identify several characteristics for the more common function families but I could
not have taken it much further. However, at the time of completion for my artifact, I
was at the height of my content knowledge. For the first time I was speaking and
writing fluently about functions, using the most precise vocabulary, and identifying
new connections that I had never before made. I discovered when to use the word
recursive and how to explain recursive patterns in the most effective manner.

Additionally I was aware of how functions came to be, their evolution across

the years, and I was familiar with every characteristic of all of the function families.
For example, the linear function family has a domain and range of all real numbers;
can be defined as either positive or negative; and has a specific set of x and y
intercepts. I learned these characteristics and many more about each separate
function family.

Moreover, upon completion of my artifact, I took significant steps forward in

my journey towards mastering the Middle Grades Content Area Standards for
Mathematics Teacher Candidates, particularly Standard 3 and Standard 5. Standard 3
addresses the significance of teacher candidates possessing knowledge of patterns,
relationships, and functions.

Standard 3: Mathematics teacher candidates possess the

mathematical knowledge needed to enable students to
understand patterns, relations, and functions. This
includes the use of algebraic symbols to represent and
analyze mathematical situations, the use of mathematical
models to represent and understand quantitative
relationships, and the analysis of change in various
contexts.
The study of functions is almost solely comprised of the study of patterns and
relationships. Functions are used as a shorthanded way of expressing patterns and
relationships using numbers and variables and I thoroughly explored these topics
within my research paper. Expressly, I learned about and discussed the
development of patterns from recursive relationships to arithmetic or geometric
sequences and then to explicit formulas and functions. Through the use of several
examples, I proved my knowledge of standard 3 in the section of my paper that I
mentioned above.

Prior to this artifact, I would have considered my content knowledge of this

standard to be very surface level and basic. After completing the artifact I
acknowledged that there is always more to learn but also felt that I was well on my
way to mastering this content. Also, I believed myself to be prepared to enter a
classroom and teach students about patterns, relationships, and functions.

Standard 5 of the Middle Grades Content Area Standards for Mathematics

Teacher Candidates encompasses the mathematical process skills that are necessary
in creating connections and problem solving.
Standard 5: Mathematics teacher candidates possess the
mathematical knowledge needed to enable students to
develop skills in problem solving, making connections
between various branches of mathematics, reasoning and
proof, and communication and representation of
mathematical ideas.
Throughout my research on functions I was continuously learning about the
appropriate vocabulary to describe the ideas that I was exploring and significantly
improving my mathematical communication skills. As previously described, I was
also forming new connections and transforming my knowledge from procedural
rules and memorized steps to conceptual understanding. One of the most important
connections that I formed was the relationship between patterns and the nearly
infinite type of ways that each individual pattern can be represented. This
transformation made me better prepared to relay ideas to students based on what
they understand best and guide them in their process of learning to solve problems
and form connections of their own.

Development of Content Knowledge since Artifacts Completion

Since the completion of my artifact, I have taken several more mathematics

courses and continued to do general research that relates to middle level

mathematics. During this time I have increased my general knowledge in this

content area by a large margin and continue to do so during the current semester.
My most improved area includes filling in the gaps with conceptual knowledge
(forming/connecting the why behind the problem) where before I would have relied
on procedural knowledge (the cheat codes or short cuts). Unfortunately, after re-
reading my artifact, I realized that I do not remember anything significant about the
historical research aspect of the project. The history of functions was something that
I was never truly interested in and therefore I did not retain a lot of the information
that I obtained during the writing/research process.

I hope to continue working to broaden my knowledge of functions and other

mathematical content but also recognize that I am not a mathematician and that
there are certain mental limitations that I may face. For instance, my ability to
compute probability beyond the most basic calculations is not as strong as my
knowledge of algebraic reasoning and problem solving. I have a very difficult time
comprehending probability that occasionally leads to issues within my work.
However, if I diligently work to gain an understanding of the underlying concepts of
probability then I may at some point overcome this obstacle. My plan is to seek out
continuing education opportunities that have very specific subjects in order to
deepen my understanding as I did with the concept of a function. Additionally, the
best way to further knowledge of a subject is to teach it. As I begin my career and
teach this material year in and year out in an ever evolving manner, I will encounter
many different strategies and perspectives that will increase my conceptual

understanding. If I can maintain the same diligence in my continuing education then

it can be applied to any area of the content knowledge that I still need to improve.

Furthering Content Knowledge Strategy

In order to deepen and further my mathematical content knowledge over the

next several months I plan to apply the same level of focus to all areas of middle
grades mathematics including the number system, ratios/proportions, geometry,
and statistics/probability. Although I may shy away from writing full-length
research papers about each of the above subjects, I would like to learn about their
history and go into enough depth about their development to be able to make strong
connections as I did with functions. I can gather this information from all types of
texts including textbooks, trade books, and books written by my colleagues; the
Internet through You-Tube videos, blogs, new studies, and university sponsored
information; and other individuals who have already mastered this content and may
offer professional development and continuing education opportunities.

The biggest obstacle that I foresee limiting my ability to expand my content

knowledge on such a large scale in the near future is time. As I approach the start
date for student teaching I continue to feel that I have less time than I ever thought
that I would. In order to overcome the time crunch I will have to dedicate specific
time slots to mathematical research in the areas relevant to the middle grades
curriculum. Whether this means dedicating 5 minutes to read a new book on the
subject a day or an hour a week to studying and learning new things, it is critical to
continue exploring mathematics so that I can be the most effective teacher possible.

My explicit goal for my continuing education at this point is to dedicate a minimum

of 3 hours a week or approximately 25 minutes a day to expanding my expertise
through self initiated personal development. In addition to my weekly commitment
I am going to read 1 mathematically relevant book every month.

The benefit of completing the extra work to further my knowledge, beyond

the obvious advantage it provides for my future students, is that math is present in
everyday life and can be applied in almost every situation. My future students will
ask regularly how they are going to use their math skills in real life and I need to be
prepared to answer that question and any other question that they pose. For
instance, statistics are used relentlessly in the world of sports. From batting
averages in baseball to kill to death percentages in video games, everything is
related to statistics. Furthermore functions can be used to compute and predict all
kinds of important money information that every person relies on without realizing
it.

Depth of Content Knowledge Reflection

Looking back on the difference between my content knowledge at the time of

my research paper and now, I see how far I have come. I have since discovered that
what I considered to by my strong mathematical foundation was actually a frail set
of rules and procedures that I had memorized but could only apply in certain
situations. That realization created a drive and desperation to improve the way that
I approach teaching mathematics. While I may have considered myself a master of

functions at the completion of my artifact, I know now that I was not a master and
still have a long way to go before I can consider myself as such.

I believe in the idea that there is always extra to explore and more to learn.

Consequently, I also feel that I will never truly be a master of any subject because it
will forever be changing and evolving. However, I can evaluate my content
knowledge based on a widely accepted scale such as Blooms New Taxonomy. This
scale divides knowledge into the categories of remembering, understanding,
applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. As a mathematics learner moves
through the categories, the knowledge that they posses expands and takes new
form. At this point in my education, I consider myself to be in the creating category
because I can formulate my own ideas about mathematics and connect them to
outside concepts.

Several of the new ideas and connections I have made, my aha! moments,

occurred in the last several months during a mathematics education methods class.
For example, for the very first time, I was explicitly taught about additive and
multiplicative reasoning. This new information resonated with me on a very deep
level because since I was in middle school, I have struggled with pattern
recognition/identification. It became clear that the reason I struggled was because
additive reasoning is my default setting. However, after elementary school, additive
reasoning is systematically replaced by multiplicative reasoning. I never made the
switch and therefore I lacked the necessary skills for pattern recognition.

Another aspect of my knowledge that supports my opinion that I am in the

creating stage of Blooms New Taxonomy is the improvement that I have made in

the fluency and precision with which I can express my ideas in a variety of different
ways. During my most recent internship I was forced to explain to students why 3
divided by 6 was and instead 2. At first it was nearly impossible for me to
verbalize my ideas in a clear way that made the reasoning obvious to the students.
However, after stumbling through my explanation, I discussed the experience with
my mentor teacher and went over what went well and what did not. After our
conversation I sat down to compose my thoughts and prepare myself to explain the
division to the next set of students. Throughout the day I improved my explanation
and identified the shortcomings in my response in order to avoid them in the future.

Experiences such as the two explained above lead me to make the

conclusions that I have about my content knowledge. There have been many other
scenarios that support my thoughts as well. At this point, I would like to point out
that even though I consider myself to be in the last stage of Blooms New Taxonomy,
I do not in any way feel that I have no need to keep learning and growing in the
future. Being an effective teacher involves being a life-long learner and always
understanding that there is room for improvement.

Growth through this Expert Study

Through the examination of my research paper on The History and Evolution

of the Concept of a Function I have gained a lot of insight on the progression of my

mathematical content knowledge in the last several years. I moved from relying on
procedural knowledge to building and growing my conceptual understanding. This
process gave me the chance to recognize the great leaps that I have made and the

path of continuing education that I need to follow from this point forward. At the
same time, writing this expert study allowed me the opportunity to give myself
credit for all of the work that I have done thus far.

The greatest lesson that the exploration has taught me is the importance of

analyzing ones own work to gain an understanding of their education level, as

sometimes there is a disparity between how I evaluate my work and how others
evaluate my work. It is also possible to have a large discrepancy in the way I
evaluate my knowledge in the moment and then looking back on the situation.
Additionally, I am reminded of the work that I need to do in order to maintain and
increase my content knowledge, as it can easily be lost over time if I do not actively
use it on a consistent basis.