Received December 2015. Volume 8, Number 4, 2015 A STUDENT TEACHER’S CHOICE AND USE OF EXAMPLES IN TEACHING PROBABILITY 1 Semiha Kula Ünver, Esra Bukova Güzel, Ayşe Tekin Dede, Çağlar Naci Hidiroğlu Abstract. The purpose of this study is to examine a mathematics student teacher’s lessons by using example types named teaching concepts and procedures and the provision of exercises. The participant's two lessons regarding the probability concept were observed and the semi- structured interviews were realized. The participant preferred to give examples taken from real world as a part of teaching concepts and procedures aiming at concept formation and provision of exercises. Keywords: knowledge quartet, choice and use of examples, secondary mathematics student teacher, probability. Introduction In studies related to “subject matter knowledge” (SMK) and “pedagogical content knowledge” (PCK) of mathematics teachers, “Knowledge Quartet” (KQ) has been used as a model whi ch helped to evaluate and to improve both SMK and PCK (Huckstep, Rowland, and Thwaites 2006; Petrou, 2009; Rowland 2005, 2007; Rowland, et al. 2009; Rowland, Huckstep, and Thwaites 2003, 2005; Rowland and Turner 2007; Turner 2007). KQ consists of four units and one of them is named transformation. The transformation requires the use of models, analogies, metaphors, examples, representations, and demonstrations which can become a bridge between the teachers’ understanding of the subject and the understanding that the students are expected to gain (Uşak, 2005). Transformation includes the presentation ways in which the teacher’s own knowledge is transformed to make it accessible to the students (Turner, 2007). This unit also includes the selection of examples and procedures used to assist concept formation, the use of multiple representations and presentations, as well as focusing on planning preparation and conducting the teaching process (Rowland et al. 2009; Rowland, Huckstep, and Thwaites 2003, 2005; Thwaites, Huckstep, and Rowland 2005). Petrou (2009) defines transformation as the knowledge-in-action and indicates that this unit includes the representations and examples used by teachers, as well as, the teachers’ explanations and questions asked to student s throughout the teaching. The transformation unit has three codes; one of them is named “choice and use of examples” (Rowland, Huckstep, and Thwaites 2005). Example is defined as specific instantiation of a general principle, chosen to illustrate or explore that principle (Chick, 2007). Bills and Watson (2008) state that examples have always played a central role in both development of and teaching of mathematics. Examples are significant when demonstrating the procedural and conceptual understanding in addition to finding the relationship and making generalizations (Suffian and Abdul Rahman, 2010). It is observed that the use of examples is 1 This paper is made up of an improved version of the poster presentation presented at the 35th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Middle East Technical University, 10-15 July 2011, Ankara, Turkey.