Elementary school geometry teachers' conceptions of geometry and teaching geometry and their practices

Thirty two elementary school geometry teachers who teach grades three to five and twenty elementary school geometry teachers who teach grades one and two were interviewed for 30-45 minutes each, about their conceptions of geometry, their conception of the need to teach geometry in the elementary school, their teaching methods, what they think about the success or failure of their teaching methods and what geometric skills they think are necessary for the elementary school students. We analyzed the teachers' interviews using the grounded theory approach and found that the teachers perceived geometry as a science characterized by certain properties, as a science that benefits the learner and as a science which has multiple connections. The teachers justified the teaching of geometry in the elementary school looking at two factors: The benefits of geometry to the student and its fitness to him/her. The two groups of elementary teachers emphasized the importance of tools in the teaching of geometry. Teachers of grades one and two emphasized more the groupings of students, while teachers of grades three to six emphasized more the teacher and the learning material. Tools were held responsible for the success and failure of teaching methods, so researchers and designers are invited to try increasing the repertoire of tools available for elementary school geometry teachers. The two groups of elementary teachers emphasized specific geometric skills and general geometric skills as important skills that the elementary school students should acquire.