Remedy and Repair of Mathematical Wounds in Elementary Teachers

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 3:35 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Cultivating Effective Mathematics Instruction: The Role of Beliefs, Play, and Teaching Simulations in Preservice Teacher Education (Table 13)

Abstract

Many elementary pre-service teachers (EPSTs) enter teacher preparation programs deeply impacted by prior experiences of school mathematics. This proposal explores the beliefs about teaching mathematics of four EPSTs as they entered an elementary certification program. We analyze observations made in a lesson study designed to support students’ use of “student invented strategies.” In this proposal, we seek to answer, “What are the ways EPSTs make sense of student thinking through engaging in high quality professional learning opportunities?” Specifically, when analyzing the mathematical thinking of elementary students, what kinds of observations and conclusions do EPSTs from various belief profiles make regarding a student’s mathematical understandings. This proposal shows how EPSTs’ mathematical wounds provides important data for making instructional decisions.

Author

• Karie C. Brown, Georgia State University