Perceptions of professional growth: A mathematics teacher educator in transition

School Science and Mathematics, Mar 2003 by Timmerman, Maria A

To meet the need for reform in mathematics teacher preparation courses, two cycles of changes made in an elementary mathematics methods course are presented. Using action research, teaching approaches were developed, implemented, and evaluated as a meaningful way to continue my professional development. Results suggested that I improved my teaching practices and focused more on teaching tasks that engaged my students to "think like teachers. " Three critical components of teacher preparation courses are identified that are important for teacher educators to acknowledge when implementing change: (a) using reflective verbal and written communication, (b) establishing a collaborative mathematical community, and (c) focusing on a narrower selection of mathematical content.

Prospective elementary school teachers need opportunities to experience reform-based teaching and learning so they can begin to reconceptualize what it means to make sense of mathematics and teaching (Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences [CBMS], 2001; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 1989, 1991, 2000). Reports such as The Mathematical Education of Teachers (CBMS, 2001) and Knowing and Learning Mathematics for Teaching (National Academy of Sciences, 2001) discussed the need for reform in mathematics teacher preparation courses. The purpose of these reports is to inform mathematicians and mathematics education faculty about recent recommendations concerning how teachers develop the mathematical knowledge they need to teach well. According to these reports, mathematics teacher educators should promote inquiry into the complex process of learning to teach and should engage prospective teachers in problem-based activities that integrate mathematics content and pedagogy.

One way to improve the mathematics education of prospective teachers is through the use of action research. This type ofresearch provides an opportunity for teacher educators to reflect on and critically analyze their teaching practices for the purpose of improving instruction (Loucks-Horsley, Hewson, Love, & Stiles, 1998). Moreover, the action research process of collecting and making sense of data in order to inform change is a meaningful way for faculty members to continue their professional growth and development. For example, teacher educators need to attend to how course experiences may influence or modify prospective teachers' images of mathematics teaching and learning. In what ways can teacher educators improve their courses and how they are taught? How do models of good teaching consistent with reform-based mathematics instruction play out in the context of methods courses? There seems to be a need for teacher educators to describe and interpret the complexity of their teaching so that they can foster a rich learning environment for development of elementary mathematics teachers.

In this article, I present two cycles of changes made in an elementary mathematics methods course to reflect reform-based teaching approaches. As a result of examining a variety of data sources and making decisions about what needed to be improved in the course, I identified three critical components that are important to acknowledge when implementing change: (a) using reflective verbal and written communication, (b) establishing a collaborative mathematical community, and (c) focusing on a narrower selection of mathematical content. These components provide a framework for developing methods courses that reflect the current thinking of ways to improve the mathematics education of prospective elementary school teachers.

Educational Philosophy

My conceptualization of mathematics teaching and learning involves making explicit the meaning of terms that influence my analysis of improving teacher development in the methods course. First, I agree with the National Research Council's (NRC, 1989) definition of mathematics as "a science of pattern and order" (p. 31). Mathematics is a process of inquiry that allows individuals to develop meaning or make sense of their world. One way to solve problems is to search for patterns and create different strategies for finding solutions. Unfortunately, for many individuals, solving problems is following memorized procedures teachers attempt to transmit to students. Children quickly learn that mathematics is not supposed to make sense. The authors of Everybody Counts (NRC, 1989) wrote,

Virtually all young children like mathematics. They do mathematics naturally, discovering patterns and making conjectures based on observations....As children become socialized by school and society, they begin to view mathematics as a rigid system of externally dictated rules governed by standards of accuracy, speed, and memory. Their view of mathematics shifts gradually from enthusiasm to apprehension, from confidence to fear. Eventually, most students leave mathematics under duress, convinced that only geniuses can learn it. (p. 43-44)

A rule-driven and fearful view of mathematics exists for many prospective elementary teachers. Teacher educators are responsible for making sense of their students' mathematics perspectives and providing experiences to help prospective teachers rethink this narrow view of mathematics.