Mathematical knowledge and primary teachers: Beyond the deficit model

Abstract

In‐service education in mathematics for primary teachers in the United Kingdom has a good record for funding and participation, and yet there is still a widely held opinion that teachers lack the necessary mathematical knowledge to teach. As a consequence, there are demands that courses for teachers should address lack of mathematical knowledge as a central priority. We argue that the analysis and proposed solution represent a considerable over‐simplification of the issues. Arguments are set in the content of the writers’ own work in the field of in‐service education and are illustrated by extracts from teachers’ reflective writing. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.