The Question of Purpose in Mathematics Teacher Education

• In Event: Excellence in Education Research: Early-Career Scholars and Their Work

Abstract

The mathematical training of pre-service teachers has, for the most part, focused on the content and method of teaching. Most teachers, like their future students, do not know how to grapple with the common classroom question regarding why math is taught and why it is taught the way that it is. In this presentation the author describes an experiment in working with pre-service teachers to raise and address such questions. Using a dialogical approach, the teacher-researcher presents his students with artifacts and problems that embody some of the defining tensions of mathematics education, particularly in regard to purpose and usability. Through in-depth discussion, fieldwork and exploration, students eventually arrive at a more critical understanding of the social purposes of mathematics and the impact of these on its teaching and learning in various contexts. The results include an expanded vision of the possibilities of mathematics education, a radical critique of its place in society, and reports of reduced math anxiety as well as increased curiosity toward mathematics.

Author

• Houman Harouni, Harvard University