The Shared Duty of Special Educational Support in Mathematics: Borders and Spaces in Degree Ordinances for Pre-service Teachers

Abstract

This chapter investigates the future shared duties of special education pre-service teachers in mathematics and mathematics pre-service teachers for primary school to support students in need of support in mathematics. Within the Swedish context, teacher education training policy frames special education teachers in mathematics (STms) as the historians of schooling, in that they carry specific knowledge about how students in need of support have been treated earlier, and recognise that current practices and policies have been motivated by the history and culture of Swedish schools. This framing also suggests that they have the expertise in supporting students in need of special support and an understanding of specific disabilities or prerequisites for learning that these students can have. In contrast, mathematics teachers for primary school (MTPs) are framed as being responsible for the overall education taking place in classrooms, being willing to collaborate and learn from other professions involved in the students learning and development, and needing to pay attention to those other professions’ experiences and knowledge. In addition, the teacher education training policy indicates that MTPs are supposed to cooperate, listen, and reflect, whereas STms are to lead, be independent, analyse, and drive school development. Furthermore, the position, role, and authority of STms are not supported by the Swedish Education Act. This together with the sometimes contradictory roles identified by each of the profession’s goals in their degree ordinance could put MTPs’ and STms’ shared duties at risk, and creates a need for negotiation. A possible way forward, in order to counteract this risk, might be shared courses during teacher training. This could presumably prepare for future negotiations and collaborations of roles and responsibilities.