Research Trends In Mathematics Teacher Education

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 a unique international comparative perspective on diverse issues and practices in mathematics education between and among the US and five high-performing TIMSS education systems, Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. The book offers multiple perspectives on the important factors that contribute to mathematics teaching and learning in different educational systems and cultural contexts. Using large scale data generated by numerous international comparative studies, the book analyzes and provides context for various methodological perspectives. The book raises compelling questions and issues for mathematics education researchers, leading to a critical examination of what can be learned from other education systems. Authors address four major research perspectives by critically examining cross-national similarities and differences, such as research on the influence of curriculum on student learning; research on institutional systems of mathematics teacher education; research on improving teacher knowledge and pedagogical approaches; and research using large-scale data. This collection of perspectives serves as a foundation for reviewing and analyzing the international comparative studies introduced in the book.

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.

Lecturing quality and professional development for lecturers has received growing attention within international undergraduate mathematics forums. The use of videos to inform teacher-practice has been common in research and in pre-service teacher education for many years. However, more recent interest has focused on how videos may be used for professional development of teachers, as separate from the more common research focus. It is indisputable that the verification of the gained knowledge constitutes a significant part of educational process. It not only provides the pupils and their parents with important information on the level of gained capabilities, but it is also a form of control for a teacher who can on the basis of them assess the efficiency of the methods used in the teaching process. Early mathematics education is foundational and attention to quality early math education is vital to ensure students succeed in schools. This book also looks at an innovative approach designed for mathematics in chemistry degree courses, which takes advantage of the Laplace Transform versatility. Strong content knowledge not only allows mathematics teachers to recognize students misconceptions, but it also enables them to direct students to a deeper understanding of the concepts involved. There is empirical evidence to indicate that mathematics teachers who possess deep content knowledge in the subject area tend to have greater repertoire of effective instructional strategies. Since the late eighties, research on the history of mathematics education in Spain has experienced an increase. The increase of calls for research projects both at national and regional level, has contributed to the creation of research groups and it has injected economic resources to research in this field.

Developing Research in Mathematics Education is the first book in the series New Perspectives on Research in Mathematics Education, to be produced in association with the prestigious European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. This inaugural volume sets out broad advances in research in mathematics education which have accumulated over the last 20 years through the sustained exchange of ideas and collaboration between researchers in the field. An impressive range of contributors provide specifically European and complementary global perspectives on major areas of research in the field on topics that include: the content domains of arithmetic, geometry, algebra, statistics, and probability; the mathematical processes of proving and modeling; teaching and learning at specific age levels from early years to university; teacher education, teaching and classroom practices; special aspects of teaching and learning mathematics such as creativity, affect, diversity, technology and history; theoretical perspectives and comparative approaches in mathematics education research. This book is a fascinating compendium of state-of-the-art knowledge for all mathematics education researchers, graduate students, teacher educators and curriculum developers worldwide.

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.

This book examines new trends and developments in research related to the mathematical education of pre-service elementary teachers, and explores the implications of these research advances for theory and practice in teacher education. The book is organized around the following four overarching themes: pre-service teachers’ mathematics content and mathematics-specific pedagogical preparation; professional growth through activities and assessment tools used in mathematics teacher preparation programs; pre-service mathematics teachers’ knowledge and beliefs; and perspectives on noticing in the preparation of elementary mathematics teachers. Including contributions from researchers working in 11 different countries, the book offers a forum for discussing and debating the state of the art regarding the mathematical preparation of pre-service elementary teachers. By presenting and discussing the findings of research conducted in different countries, the book offers also opportunities to readers to learn about varying teacher education practices around the world, such as: innovative practices in advancing or assessing teachers’ knowledge and beliefs, similarities and differences in the formal mathematics education of teachers, types of and routes in teacher education, and factors that can influence similarities or differences.

Knowledge, Beliefs, and Identity in Mathematics Teaching and Teaching Development examines teacher knowledge, beliefs, identity, practice and relationships among them. These important aspects of mathematics teacher education continue to be the focus of extensive research and policy debate globally.