Prospective mathematics teachers’ self-referential metaphors as indicators of the emerging professional identity
Ideals play a key role in a student teachers’ identity work. They form targets to strive for and a mirror for reflection. In this paper, we examine Finnish mathematics student teachers’ metaphors for the teacher’s role (N= 188). We classified the metaphors according to a model that identified teachers as subject matter experts, didactical experts, and pedagogical experts, with the addition of another two categories, self-referential and contextual. For the exploration of emerging professional identities, we studied the self-referential metaphors, which formed the most common category in the data. We observed that every third metaphor described either student teachers’ personalities or their…
Recent Nordic research in mathematics education illustrated by examples from NORMA17
A characterization of recent Nordic research in didactics of mathematics is presented based on the 32 research reports from the Nordic and Baltic countries in the proceedings from NORMA17 (The eighth Nordic conference on didactics of mathematics). Recent Nordic research in didactics of mathematics is observed from several aspects such as choice of problem, theory, method, result, and target for the message. The analyses of the papers on different levels and from a manifold of perspectives build up an image of what Nordic research in DM (didactics of mathematics) contains and represents currently. The closeness and cooperation between researchers in the Nordic countries is characteristic as …
Toward a More Sustainable Pre-service Teacher Education: A Study in Progress
In this chapter, Toward a more sustainable pre- service teacher education: a study in progress, Claire Vaugelade Berg, Barbro Grevholm, Ase Haraldstad, Bente Velle Hellang, Annbjorg Haoy, Aslaug Kristiansen and Gro-Renee Rambo argue that: “A sustainable teacher education includes developing pre-service teachers’ awareness of the advantages and consequences of adopting a critical stance: a stance where one looks critically and self-critically at everyday-teaching practice, and aim at improving it in order to achieve pupils’ meaningful understanding of the subject matter.” The aim is to supply teachers with relevant skills that make them become well-qualified teachers. The role of developing …
Learning to Teach Mathematics: Expanding the Role of Practicum as an Integrated Part of a Teacher Education Programme
The premise of the 15th ICMI Study is that teachers are key to students' opportunities to learn mathematics. What teachers of mathematics know, care about, and do is a product of their experiences and socialization, together with the impact of their professional education. The Professional Education and Development of Teachers of Mathematics assembles important new international work- development, research, theory and practice - concerning the professional education of teachers of mathematics. As it examines critical areas to reveal what is known and what significant questions and problems warrant collective attention, the volume also contributes to the strengthening of the international co…