Inquiry Into Mathematics Teacher Education

(Orginally published in 2008) The 14 chapters in this monograph provide support for mathematics teacher educators in both their Practical Knowledge and their Professional Knowledge. Individually, these articles provide insights into advancing our thinking about professional development, teacher preparation, and program development. Collectively, they have the potential to help the field of mathematics teacher education move forward in framing effective practices in mathematics teacher education and developing a focused, cohesive research agenda. ATME's Monograph 5, therefore, is a superb resource for mathematics teacher education.

Mathematics teacher education includes the mathematics content teachers need to understand, ways that pedagogical approaches are developed, messages about the nature of mathematics teaching and learning, and interfaces between tertiary preparation and school contexts. Scholars from Sweden, France, Malawi, Singapore, New Zealand, Brazil, the USA, and Canada provide insights for the mathematics education community’s understanding of how teacher educators structure, develop, and implement their respective mathematics teacher education programs. Several themes emerged across the chapters, including: varied approaches to developing culturally responsive pedagogies and/or Indigenous perspectives; issues and challenges in fostering partnerships and collaborations; strategies for developing mathematics knowledge for teaching; and preparing flexible and resourceful teachers. Praise for International Perspectives on Mathematics Teacher Education: "International Perspectives on Mathematics Teacher Education explores different facets of mathematics teacher education in eight countries across five continents. The authors and editors answer important questions and open the door to critical conversations about policies and practices related to mathematics teacher recruitment, preparation, and professional development, among other topics. Every reader will develop new perspectives as they learn how one institution is engaging with Indigenous perspectives while other countries struggle with an insufficient supply of certified teachers. This book clearly demonstrates challenges, constraints, nuances and complexities to initiating and maintaining improvement across systems to enhance the work and spaces of mathematics teachers within different historical, cultural, social, and political contexts. This volume also generates ideas and opportunities for leaders, policymakers, and teacher educators to consider and learn from international colleagues about different approaches to mathematics teacher education practice and policy. Undoubtedly, debates about standards, content and experiences in programs, and accountability structures such as accreditation will continue. It is clear from the insights in this volume that strengthening mathematics teacher education will require stronger collaborations, frameworks, policies, infrastructure, and investments on a global scale and it will be critical to collaborate with and learn from colleagues in international settings. These conversations will require reciprocity, interdependence, and resilience as we pursue the ultimate goal of equipping the field of mathematics teacher education." Kathryn Chval Dean, College of Education Professor of Mathematics Education University of Illinois Chicago

Through the chapters in this volume we learn about the questions that capture the attention of teachers, the methodologies they use to gather data, and the ways in which they make sense of what they find. Some of the research findings could be considered preliminary, others confirmatory, and some may be groundbreaking. In all cases, they provide fodder for further thinking and discussion about critical aspects of mathematics education.

This third volume of the International Handbook of Mathematics Teacher Education focuses on teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and others who work to provide effective learning opportunities for teachers, with emphasis on describing and analysing their engagement in mathematics teacher education collaborations and contexts from various perspectives.

Research in mathematics teacher education as a distinctive field of inquiry has grown substantially over the past 10-15 years. Within this field there is emerging interest in how mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) themselves learn and develop. Until recently there were few published studies on this topic, and the processes by which mathematics teacher educators learn, and the forms of knowledge they require for effective practice, had not been systematically investigated. However, researchers in mathematics education are now beginning to investigate the development of MTE expertise and associated issues. This volume draws on the latest research and thinking in this area is therefore timely to stimulate future development and directions. It will survey the emerging field of inquiry in mathematics education, combining the work of established scholars with perspectives of newcomers to the field, with the aim of influencing development of the field, invite cross-cultural comparisons in becoming a mathematics teacher educator by highlighting issues in the development of MTEs in different countries, and examine the roles of both mathematics educators and mathematicians in preparing future teachers of mathematics. The primary audience will be university-based mathematics teacher educators and MTE researchers, and postgraduate research students who are seeking academic careers as MTEs. Additional interest may come from teacher educators in disciplines other than mathematics, and education policy makers responsible for accreditation and quality control of initial teacher education programs.

Research on the preparation and continued development of mathematics teachers is becoming an increasingly important subset of mathematics education research. Such research explores the attributes, knowledge, skills and beliefs of mathematics teachers as well as methods for assessing and developing these critical aspects of teachers and influences on teaching. Research Trends in Mathematics Teacher Education focuses on three major themes in current mathematics teacher education research: mathematical knowledge for teaching, teacher beliefs and identities, and tools and techniques to support teacher learning. Through careful reports of individual research studies and cross-study syntheses of the state of research in these areas, the book provides insights into teachers’ learning processes and how these processes can be harnessed to develop effective teachers. Chapters investigate bedrock skills needed for working with primary and secondary learners (writing relevant problems, planning lessons, being attentive to student learning) and illustrate how knowledge can be accessed, assessed, and nurtured over the course of a teaching career. Commentaries provide context for current research while identifying areas deserving future study. Included among the topics: Teachers’ curricular knowledge Teachers’ personal and classroom mathematics Teachers’ learning journeys toward reasoning and sense-making Teachers’ transitions in noticing Teachers’ uses of a learning trajectory as a tool for mathematics lesson planning A unique and timely set of perspectives on the professional development of mathematics teachers at all stages of their careers, Research Trends in Mathematics Teacher Education brings clarity and practical advice to researchers as well as practitioners in this increasingly critical arena.

This book provides examples of the ways in which 9-12 grade mathematics teachers from across North America are engaging in research. It offers a glimpse of the questions that capture the attention of teachers, the methodologies that they use to gather data, and the ways in which they make sense of what they find. The focus of these teachers’ investigations into mathematics classrooms ranges from students’ understanding of content to pedagogical changes to social issues. Underlying the chapters is the common goal of enabling students to develop a deep understanding of the mathematics they learn in their classrooms.

Mathematics teaching and professional development of mathematics teachers are areas where research has increased substantially in recent years. In this dynamic field, mathematics teaching practices, pedagogical knowledge of mathematics teachers and professional development via collaboration between mathematics teachers have emerged as vital domains of inquiry. Professional Development and Knowledge of Mathematics Teachers addresses the underlying characteristics of mathematics teacher education, and those professional development contexts that have a positive impact on teachers’ professional learning. Recognizing the impact of broader institutional settings on mathematics teaching and teacher professional development, the editors suggest bridging the gaps between theoretical practices and methodological approaches in the field by focusing on and conceptualizing the following relational factors: The study of mathematics teaching and classroom situations Researching teacher and teacher educator knowledge, since these issues inform the quality of mathematics teaching directly Mathematics teacher education and professional development, focusing on design principles and the impact they have on teacher professional learning Combining central issues of mathematics teaching, knowledge and professional development, the chapters in this volume address each of the above factors and provide profound considerations on both theoretical and practical levels. This book will be an essential resource for researchers, teachers and students working in the fields of mathematics teaching and mathematics teacher professional development.