The Mathematical Education of Primary Teachers

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Engagement With the Teaching of Math

Abstract

This paper reports the result of a study designed to examine what aspects of teacher education programs are related to the mathematical and mathematical pedagogical content knowledge attained by prospective primary teachers at the end of their formal preparation. The study uses TEDS-M survey data collected from representative samples of pre-service teacher education programs and their future teachers in 13 countries including the U.S. Multivariate analyses show that future teachers’ individual characteristics, programs’ selection policies and opportunities to learn were associated with higher levels of knowledge. Results support policies directed at raising the level of (a) subject knowledge required for program selection, and (b) complexity and cognitive demand of the opportunities to learn offered to future primary mathematics teachers.

Author

• Maria Teresa Tatto, Arizona State University - Tempe