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Unpacking personal identities for teaching mathematics within the context of prospective teacher education

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Abstract

This article explores the personal identities of two prospective elementary teachers as they progressed from mathematics methods coursework into their capstone student teaching semester. Results indicate that both prospective teachers perceived contrasting obligations of effective mathematics teaching in the teacher education and student teaching contexts, yet came to reconcile these differences in different ways. Whereas one prospective teacher was able to oppose the obligations set forth in the student teaching context, the other complied with obligations in both the teacher education and student teaching contexts. Implications for teacher education include differentiated experiences and placements, methods design, and explicit foci on students’ mathematical thinking.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Carolina, 105 Wardlaw Building, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Thomas E. Hodges

  2. University of Tennessee, A410 Bailey Education Complex, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA

    Lynn Liao Hodge

Authors
  1. Thomas E. Hodges
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  2. Lynn Liao Hodge
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas E. Hodges.

Appendix

Appendix

Sample interview questions

  1. 1.

    (Pre-teaching only) Please tell me some of the most important things you thought about as you created your teacher work sample.

    1. (a)

      What made you think ____ was an important thing to consider?

    2. (b)

      (At intervals), please give me an example of how those thoughts about __ show up in your plans.

  2. 2.

    (Pre-teaching only) How did these ideas relate to your experiences in your courses?

    1. (a)

      Were there particular experiences in your math methods courses that are reflected in your teacher work sample?

  3. 3.

    (Pre-teaching only) Describe your assessment plan?

    1. (a)

      What most influenced your thoughts on your assessment plan?

  4. 4.

    Picture walking into a classroom and seeing the best teacher teaching mathematics.

    1. (a)

      What is s/he doing?

    2. (b)

      What are the students doing?

    3. (c)

      What kinds of materials and resources might this teacher/students be using?

    4. (d)

      What do you think this best teacher’s plans for instruction look like?

    5. (e)

      How do you think this best teacher assesses students?

  5. 5.

    What aspects of this “best” teacher do you think are reflected in your teacher work sample?

  6. 6.

    What aspects of this “best” teacher do you think are not reflected in your teacher work sample?

    1. (a)

      What keeps you from being able to do these things?

  7. 7.

    (Pre-teaching only) What role, if any, did the following resources play in planning instruction and assessment for your teacher work sample?

    1. (a)

      University supervisor

    2. (b)

      Other university faculty

    3. (c)

      Cooperating teacher

    4. (d)

      Other faculty in host school

    5. (e)

      Adopted textbook

    6. (f)

      Other print resources

    7. (g)

      State curriculum or other Standards

    8. (h)

      Research/literature in mathematics education

    9. (i)

      Internet searches

    10. (j)

      Other web-based resources

    11. (k)

      Materials from coursework (if yes, ask for specific courses and items)

    12. (l)

      Your own knowledge and experiences as a K-12 student

  8. 8.

    (Reserved for post-teaching interview protocol) Did you make any changes to the unit plan after you started teaching it?

    1. (a)

      If so, what prompted you to make those changes?

    2. (b)

      If so, what changes did you make?

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Hodges, T.E., Hodge, L.L. Unpacking personal identities for teaching mathematics within the context of prospective teacher education. J Math Teacher Educ 20, 101–118 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-015-9339-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-015-9339-2

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