PME-NA

Becoming a Mathematician: Challenging Identity Barriers in Pre-Service Teacher Education

• In Event: Identity in Pre-Service Teacher Education

Description

In this study, we explore how preservice teachers (PSTs) perceptions of their mathematical identities, as well as how those identities evolve, during their participation in a semester-long elementary mathematics methods course. We examine PSTs' shifting views of themselves as mathematicians through pre- and post-course reflections. Participants articulated their evolving definitions of a mathematician, revealing tensions between prior negative experiences with mathematics and emerging understandings. Results suggest that teacher preparation programs can help PSTs redefine their mathematical identities in ways that support effective teaching.

Authors

• Pavneet Kaur Bharaj, California State University Long Beach

• Dionne Cross Cross Francis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Kathryn Habib, University of North Carolina

• Boran Yu, UNC Chapel Hill

• Anna Gustaveson, University of North Carolina