Prospective primary teachers? pedagogical content knowledge about geometric shapes

The aim of this study is to explore prospective primary teachers? pedagogical content knowledge in the teaching geometric shapes. A framework of pedagogical content knowledge derived from different models is developed. This framework includes four components, namely, subject matter knowledge, knowledge of students? understanding, curriculum knowledge, and knowledge of instructional strategies. In this context the content of subject matter knowledge is defining and exemplifying definitions, recognition and spatial abilities about geometric shapes. The content of student learning is the prior knowledge that students brings together and justification student?s mistakes. The content of program knowledge is knowing how is geometric shape placed in 1-5 Mathematics Teaching Program. The content of knowledge of instructional strategies is about answering ?If you were how could you teach?? question in the teaching scenarios about geometric shapes activities.This study was realized with ?integrated multi-state? pattern which has been one of the patterns of qualitative research methodology. Four teacher candidates were selected as fit for purpose and interviewed and observed individually. Data were collected between December 2008 and May 2009. The interview instrument was designed in semi-structured in which declarative and conditional knowledge questions and teaching scenarios were presented to explore teachers? pedagogical content knowledge. And also we made data triangulation with video taping lessons? teaching of the teacher candidates. Data analysis and findings presentation were based on the four components of framework by helping predetermined categories from literature with as descriptive.As a result of the teacher candidates? we have seen that the answers that are given easily about definitions and exemplifying of geometric shapes are not always true, contrary sometimes difficultly given answers could be true, and usually given examples weren?t rich, the definitions are far from being a mathematical definition, they were general definitions. However we have seen that the teacher candidates have misconceptions about prism, pyramid, cone and cylinder, and they have most difficulty to define sphere, they have most difficulty to give daily life examples about pyramid and cone. We have seen that, in recognizing geometric shapes, the teacher candidates recognize immediately true or immediately false in the terms of behavior, in terms of justification they give more attribute reasoning answers in recognizing element of shapes, and also they give more visual reasoning answers in recognizing folded form of shapes. In spatial abilities of geometric shapes we have seen that the teacher candidates are in similar situation. Although the teacher candidates haven?t any teaching experiences they had given qualified answers in knowledge of students? understandings, after teaching practice a positive development of qualified answers was seen in the interviews. Similar situation was also occurring in the program knowledge. In the first interview while the teacher candidates haven?t got true information about in the teaching program geometric shapes in which content and how placed, we have seen that they gain program knowledge about geometric shapes which they teach in teaching practice. In the instructional teaching strategies we have seen that the teacher candidates confuses about strategy, method and technique concepts. Although the teacher candidates didn?t know the name of strategy, method and techniques, we have seen that they apply various methods and techniques in teaching practice.The result show that the four components of pedagogical content knowledge are interrelated and teacher candidate?s academic success and high school graduating areas does not have considerable effect to pedagogical content knowledge.