Developing Critical Reflection and Inquiry Among Teacher Candidates in an Elementary Mathematics Methods Course

• In Event: Inquiry in the Early Years: Examinings in Elementary and Early Childhood Teacher Education

Abstract

This study explores how past and present experiences with mathematics interact as teacher candidates engage in a series of critical inquiry and reflection opportunities embedded in a mathematics methods course. The study involved 28 teacher candidates enrolled in an undergraduate education program within a large university. Data were collected through a series of written reflections and semi-structured interviews. The results reveal that the teacher candidates possess a wide variety of feelings towards mathematics, yet they are often influenced by how they were taught as students. Further, negative experiences with mathematics appear to be more prevalent than positive ones. Opportunities for critical inquiry and reflective thinking allowed the participants to develop new understandings about teaching and learning mathematics.

Authors

• Bilge Cerezci, National Louis University

• Liz Chase, St. John's University