In recent years Portugal has experienced a severe financial and economic crisis, with implications for all sectors of society, particularly education. Salary cuts, high rates of unemployment, high taxation and worsening career progression are just some ways in which the teaching profession has been affected. Recent policy changes have also…

After briefly analysing a classroom episode, we discuss aspects of the teacher's didactical knowledge, namely in its mathematical and instructional dimensions, as reflected in the answers of three prospective teachers to a written assignment based on the episode. We then raise some issues regarding initial teacher education, anchored in the notion…

The observation and assessment of quality of teacher--child interactions in elementary school settings are increasingly recognized as important; however, research is still very limited in European countries. In this study, we examined the quality of the interactions between teacher and children in first-grade classrooms in Portugal and the extent…