Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW 1 DOMAIN A

Literature Review 1 Domain A

Steven Bambauer
National University

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

TED 690Capstone Course
Professor Nanci Hanover

LITERATURE REVIEW 1 DOMAIN A

Abstract
The California Teacher Performance Expectations (TPE) Domain A Making
Subject Matter Comprehensible is summarized to outline required
competencies. Next, the article The Mathematical Understanding That
Prospective Teachers Bring to Teach Education (Ball, 1990) is summarized.
Domain A and the Article are then discussed to note how the article and the
domain expectations are related. Finally, a look at current day and a
suggestion for improvement is provided

LITERATURE REVIEW 1 DOMAIN A

Literature Review - The Mathematical Understandings That Prospective Teachers Bring to

Teacher Education Deborah Loewenberg Ball

Domain A: Making Subject Matter Comprehensible /

TPE1A: Subject-Specific Pedagogical Skills for Multiple Subject Teaching Assignments
Domain A, TPE 1A requires that math teachers be prepared to provide students with the
skills and knowledge necessary for them to be able to, among other things, (a) appropriately
use processes of problem solving, reasoning and proof, and (b) appropriate[ly] apply the
strands of mathematical proficiency, including adaptive reasoning, strategic competence
(California Teaching Performance Expectations, 2013) Teachers meet these expectations through
various type of teaching, classroom management and professional growth.
Article Summary
This article looks to survey and understand the mathematic competency of both
elementary and secondary mathematics teachers through the use of questionnaires and
interviews. This article seeks to explain to the reader the importance of teachers having expanded
knowledge in mathematics, and this position could be extended to many if not all of the other
subject taught in schools. The results of the study showed empirically that the teachers had
difficulty explaining and understanding lower level math that they were being asked to teach and
the teachers themselves felt uncomfortable with teaching the material. The article concluded that
subject matter preparedness during teacher preparation is necessary and while teachers may
figure out the meaning of [the material taught] by teaching it, they do not necessarily uncover the
concepts and principles underlying all the many rules (Ball, 1990).

LITERATURE REVIEW 1 DOMAIN A

Relationship between Domain A and the Article

The California Teacher Performance Expectations (TPE) Domain A Making
Subject Matter Comprehensible to Students sets expectations for math
specific pedagogical skills for subject matter instruction. These expectations
outline what students should know and what their teachers need to teach. To
be able to meet the expectations set in Domain A TPE 1A teachers must be
prepared with a true understanding of the material they are teaching. If
teachers do not have the underlying understanding of the material, they will
not be prepared or capable to meet the expectations. Teachers must be
prepared to meet these requirements through subject specific preparedness
during the teaching certification process or through their major in
undergraduate study. While noted below, the California Subject Examinations
(CSET) may not be enough to allow teachers to meet these expectations and
be confident about their ability to teach the material.
Current Day / Suggestion for Improvement
As highlighted above under the No Child Left Behind Highly Qualified Teacher
Requirements a teacher must show competency in their chosen subject
through passing a series of examinations (CSETs) of increasing complexity. As
this article was written in 1990 and the CSET requirements were added later,
the importance of this article may be diminished. However, the underlying
data is still useful as it highlights the need to ensure subject specific
understanding beyond the basic mathematics required for an undergraduate

LITERATURE REVIEW 1 DOMAIN A

degree to meet the expectations set out in Domain A TPE 1A. To improve the
ability of teachers in the mathematics subject to meet the needs of their
students and the TPE expectations, they should be required to complete
additional pre-certification requirements to prove competency in addition to
the CSETs.

LITERATURE REVIEW 1 DOMAIN A

References
Ball, D. L. (1990). The Mathematical Understandings That Prospective Teachers Bring to
Teacher Education. The Elementary School Journal, Vol. 90 (Issue 4), pp. 449-466. The
University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1001941.
California Teaching Performance Expectations. (2013, March). Commission on Teacher
Credentialing. Retrieved from http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/standards/adoptedTPEs-2013.pdf.