Learning to Teach Mathematics in Primary Teacher Education: What Are the Main Student Teachers' Concerns?

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Fostering Teacher Knowledge: Varying Approaches to Mathematics Methods in Teacher Education

Abstract

This study aims to understand student teachers’ concerns about the experience of learning to teach mathematics during their initial teacher education. Data were collected through four focus groups using a purposive sample consisting of 17 student teachers studying at a Chilean primary teacher education program. Three types of concerns were identified using thematic analysis: mastery of the contents to be taught, the manner of achieving student learning, and the complexity of teaching in the school classroom. An additional finding was that concerns keep changing, based on progress in the program and on the subject matter that student teachers are engaged in. Finally, the study discusses practical recommendations for teacher education in terms of these concerns.

Authors

• Helena Loreto Montenegro, Universidad de Chile

• Constanza Verónica Ledermann, Universidad de Chile

• Leandro Pérez Moreno, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile