The modeling approach is used to prepare students to become responsible citizens and face the challenges and demands of modern times, mainly when they engage in modeling activities using digital tools. This study investigates the features of digital tools used in modeling processes among prospective teachers. Thirty-two prospective mathematics…

In a pre-service mathematics methods class I taught, in which we mathematized political districting (first horizontally, then vertically), student questions led to engaging mathematics, in particular, the development of a new number sequence.

There is a growing attention around the preparation of pre-service teachers (PSTs) as both learners and teachers of mathematical modeling. Current literature focuses on preparing PSTs as learners of modeling, and we extend current work by examining how PSTs integrate their understanding of modeling into the work of teaching. This study follows two…

Preservice elementary teachers' attitudes towards mathematics are often negatively influenced by their K-12 education. Accordingly, teacher educators must allow preservice elementary teachers to experience mathematical instruction differently to change their attitudes toward mathematics and their conceptions about what it means to teach and learn…

In recent years, a group of teacher educators has developed a method of teacher education that incorporates practices that provide guidance about how to teach along with a principled vision of teaching that supports teachers to use the practices with judgement. Sometimes termed "core practices-focused teacher education" (Forzani, 2014,…

Acknowledging that our professional development (or methods course) was not going as well as we had hoped was difficult. However, knowing what to do and correcting the problem was even more challenging. This article explains how we engaged teachers in helping us rethink our video club by listening to and acting on their ideas. Through "coffee…

A central aspect of reform-minded mathematical teaching is training and developing teachers' ability to notice vital aspects in the classroom and more specifically, students' mathematical thinking. As there is an abundance of evidence and research that support the benefits for teachers to elicit and use students' ideas and thinking during…

Considerable research has been conducted on the critical role of gesture and action in children's mathematical thinking. However, teacher professional development (PD) has not tended to include specific supports for attending to nonverbal student thinking. In this Brief Report, we argue for including supports for multimodal teacher noticing in…

This exploratory, mixed-method study investigated how strength-based approach to mathematics instruction (SBAMI) influences the academic optimism of general education and special education pre-service teachers (PSTs). Academic optimism, linked to student achievement in previous research, was used as the theoretical framework. Data included…

In our mathematics methods courses for elementary preservice teachers, we work to uncover and confront students' understandings as well as misconceptions about important mathematical topics. Karp and colleagues' ("Teaching Children Mathematics", 21(1), 18-25) "13 Rules That Expire" article has been a useful resource for us to…

This paper details an integrated inquiry-based mathematics and science method course for preservice teachers designed around STEM problem-based learning. It documents how problem-based learning (PBL) activities supported PSTs' envisioning of equitable approaches for diverse children. The overarching research question was: "How did preservice…

Mathematics pre-service teachers (PSTs) need opportunities to learn best practices in teaching mathematics, e.g., productive struggle. Productive struggle happens when students work through challenging problems that are not straightforward. This paper describes mathematics PSTs' engagement with productive struggle in a mathematics methods course.…

Mathematics is often taught by lecturing students on how to perform procedures, but it could be taught in ways that promote active student engagement and develop deep conceptual understanding. Research supports the latter approach as better for students' retention, engagement, and success with learning mathematics. An important time to influence…

Algebra holds an important role in school mathematics, and teachers must recognize the broad range of algebraic ideas and develop a deep understanding of these concepts to teach algebra conceptually. This study aims to investigate two pre-service middle school mathematics teachers' (PSTs) conceptualization of algebraic thinking before and after…

Approximations of practice are opportunities for preservice teachers (PSTs) to engage in components of teaching. However, how the varying levels of complexity or authenticity of teaching create different learning opportunities for PSTs is underexplored. Forty-one studies related to approximations of mathematics teaching were reviewed to explore…