Abstract
The article investigates the role of attention in the reflective thinking of school mathematics
teachers. It analyses teachers’ ability to pay attention to detail and use their mathematical
knowledge. The vast majority of teachers can be expected to have an excellent
knowledge of mathematical techniques. The question examined here is whether this kind
of knowledge might structure their attention in such a way that the emphasis on procedures
deflects their attention from the essential details. Four groups of participant teachers
from New Zealand, Hong Kong, Germany and Ukraine were given a mini-test containing
seven simple mathematics questions. Most questions in the test were provocative in the
sense that they looked like routine questions but in fact had some catch. The results of
the test were startlingçthe vast majority of the participants gave incorrect answers to
most questions in the test. After the test, the participants were given a short questionnaire
to reflect on their performance on the test. Their responses were analysed using the
theories of selective, divided and focused attention and Mason’s concept of the discipline
of noticing. Implementations of the results of the study in assessment and professional
development are discussed.
