LEARNING TO TEACH MATHEMATICS: The Lesson De-Brief Conversation

Abstract

In the United Kingdom it is typical for prospective teachers to teach lessons which are observed by a school-based mentor and a university tutor, following which there is a de-brief between those three, about the lesson. In this chapter, we will explore the significance of these de-briefing conversations, within the broader process of becoming a teacher of mathematics. There has been limited attention given to ways of conducting the lesson de-brief within the mathematics education literature, but there are many characterisations of mentoring relationships, which have implications for such discussions. We analyse the practice that has developed at the University of Bristol, making use of fictionalised accounts, based on our experiences. Our particular de-briefing practice appears to be highly effective in allowing prospective teachers to identify and become committed to next steps in their development as teachers. We put forward some tentative reasons for why what we do is effective, linked to our overall enactivist perspective on the process of becoming a teacher of mathematics.