Change Over Time: Tracing and Analyzing Novice Teachers' Skills With Eliciting and Interpreting Student Thinking

• In Event: Problem Solving and Challenges for Teachers and Learners

Abstract

How do preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) skills with eliciting and interpreting student thinking change over time? We explore this question by analyzing performances of six PSTs from one teacher education program on a simulation assessment conducted at three points in time: entry into the program, the end of the first year, and after 2-3 years of teaching experience. The assessment involves examining a student work sample, interacting with a standardized student, and explaining interpretations of the student’s thinking in a structured interview. We consider how participants’ mathematical knowledge for teaching, conceptions of mathematics, and orientations towards student thinking relate to their eliciting and interpreting. Our findings have implications for assessing and guiding the development of PSTs’ skills in practice-based teacher education.

Authors

• Rosalie DeFino, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Meghan M. Shaughnessy, University of Michigan

• Timothy A. Boerst, University of Michigan