Preparing Prospective Mathematics Teacher Educators to Teach Mathematics Through Problem Solving

Abstract

Mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) play a significant role in supporting prospective teachers (PTs) to develop the mathematical content and pedagogical knowledge they need for teaching. We examined how four novice prospective MTEs learn within a Community of Practice (CoP) and develop Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Teachers (MKTT) and MTE identities when they are serving as interns in a mathematics content course for PTs taught through problem solving. We collected data through weekly reflections written by the novice prospective MTEs, researcher memos, and interviews with each participant at three points in the semester. We found that within the CoP, the novice prospective MTEs exhibited their growth predominately through learning as experience and learning as doing. We found that they indicated their development of MKTT most notably by noting new insights into pedagogical practices and enacting new pedagogical practices. We contribute (a) a model of how prospective MTEs can experience and learn how to teach PTs mathematics through problem solving, and (b) evidence of how this learning occurred and how their MTE identities developed through this experience.