This study examined the development of prospective teachers' (PTs) understanding of productive struggle using video episodes which PTs analyzed through the lens of professional teacher noticing. Our qualitative study included 66 PTs in four sections of a semester-long mathematics content course for prospective elementary and middle school teachers…

Fermi problems are useful for introducing modelling in primary school classrooms, although teachers' difficulties in problem solving may hinder their successful implementation. These difficulties are associated with the modelling process, but also with the estimation and measurement skills required by Fermi problems. In this work, a specific…

Students' contributions that are not yet mathematically complete, precise, or correct are crucial for learning through classroom discussions. We aim to support teacher candidates (TCs) to see students' ideas as evidence of sensemaking and to respond in ways that keep student thinking central to the discussion. Although approximations of practice…

Two mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) discuss the mathematical contexts generated by prospective teachers (PTs) when pushed to look for relevant mathematics in their lives and communities. Through collaborative teacher action research focused on iterations of collecting, categorizing, and discussing PTs' mathematical contexts, and posing…

Nutrition facts are the details on food packaging that describe its nutritional value, including serving size, calories, macronutrients like carbohydrates, protein, and fat, and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. These facts have mathematical concepts that can be utilized as a context for prospective teachers to create mathematical…

Background: Teachers must have the skills to find, select, design and use technology-based mathematical activities that focus on high-level cognitive demands--supporting student reasoning. However, they experience various difficulties in creating, planning and making decisions about how and when to utilize technological affordances. Objectives:…

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the thoughts of primary and secondary prospective mathematics teachers about educating mathematically gifted students. For this purpose, this research was conducted with 40 prospective mathematics teachers, 17 of whom were secondary mathematics prospective teachers, and 23 were primary mathematics…

This study investigated how prospective elementary teachers view themselves as learners of mathematics and science during their last year in a teacher preparation program at an American university. Using drawing and reflections as the method for collecting data, prospective teachers were prompted to draw themselves and reflect on learning…

The learning environment has been found to be related to mathematics anxiety at a variety of educational levels, including higher education, but to date has not been investigated in relation to preservice teachers. It has been previously found that preservice teachers often harbour high levels of mathematics anxiety, and that mathematics-anxious…

Many teacher education models involve reflecting on teaching practice for the sake of improving it. Such reflection must be carefully structured to help practitioners identify and act upon significant opportunities for improvement (SOIs). Learning from SOIs requires the cognitive activities of noticing students' mathematical thinking and its…

One of the challenges of university mathematics courses in secondary teacher preparation is incorporating pedagogical discussions. The focus in a mathematics course is--and should be--on mathematics. But research also suggests that without addressing pedagogical implications these content courses are not meaningful to secondary teachers' future…

Math-talk communities are interactive classrooms where knowledge is constructed socially and discourse with peers is placed at the center of learning experiences. Many preservice elementary teachers find it difficult to implement math-talk communities. Given the documented value of math-talk communities as an effective strategy for engaging…

Problem posing is an indispensable constituent of mathematical thinking, which makes it a requisite ability for students of all grades. Therefore, pre- and in-service teachers should carry out problem posing activities of high quality, and having them pose non-routine problems may be a good way to make this happen. In this context, this study…

Research suggests that preservice teachers enter teacher education with predominantly negative dispositions towards mathematics. We present a case study of an approach to supporting the development of positive mathematics teaching identities among students in a middle-level math methods course. Our findings suggest that engaging in narrative…

The aim of this study is twofold: to determine which knowledge type (procedural or conceptual) is predominant in basic mathematics topics among preservice primary mathematics teachers and the relation between these knowledge types. The study group consisted of 97 freshmen studying at Primary Mathematics Teaching Department. Case study method was…