Noticing Student Mathematical Thinking: Self-Contemplation of a Pre-Service Teacher

Abstract

This study focused on a pre-service teacher’s self-contemplations about the two opportunities provided in a field experience course, Formative Assessment Interviews (FAIs) and Model Building (MB), which were designed to support pre-service teachers developing the skills of noticing students’ mathematical thinking. In the field experience, pre-service teachers conducted FAIs with a pair of children and participated in MB sessions to hypothesize students’ mathematical thinking. The findings suggest that although the pre-service teacher, Gloria, experienced some challenges, FAIs and MBs created a supportive medium for the pre-service teacher’s development of noticing student thinking and appreciating the value of this practice, which is important to gain in teacher education.