Interpretative Knowledge

Mathematics teacher knowledge has a central role in the research on mathematics teacher education. On the one hand, researchers investigate connections between practice and teacher knowledge within different theoretical perspectives (Potari 2012). On the other hand, from a more theoretical point of view, the issue of identifying the scope and the nature of the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching is dominant in our field (Chapman 2013). Here we refer to a particular kind of mathematical knowledge, named Interpretative Knowledge (IK), which allows teachers to give meaning to students’ reasoning and productions, even when incorrect or nonstandard, when- ever aiming at supporting the development of their mathematical knowledge having such reasoning as the core element of the mathematical work in practice. Considering its nature and specificities, a rationale and background will be presented, and afterward, the meaning of such IK will then be deepened.