Beliefs, knowledge and teaching: A series of studies about Chinese mathematics teachers

In the past few decades, research on teaching has significantly shifted its focus from seeking effective teaching behavior to exploring teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and thinking behind their actions. Numerous empirical studies have revealed that teachers' beliefs about mathematics and mathematics learning are strong influences on their views of effective mathematics teaching, which in turn influence students' learning. These beliefs come into play when teachers shape students' learning experience and affect their learning outcomes. Although extensive research studies have been conducted on how Chinese learn and teach mathematics, much more needs to be done to explore how beliefs and knowledge influence teaching among mathematics teachers in the Chinese context. This chapter first reviews the literature that concerns how beliefs and knowledge influence teaching among mathematics teachers, with a particular focus on studies conducted in the Chinese regions. We then describe a series of our studies on how beliefs and knowledge affect teaching. Finally we suggest inspirations and directions for future research. Copyright © 2015 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.