Abstract
The integration of academic and vocational subject matter is offered in response to efforts to make the study of mathematics meaningful and engaging for all students,as well as aid in the preparation of a mathematically literate workforce. Yet,teachers often come to mathematics education with more ‘pure’ than ‘applied’ backgrounds making it difficult for them to draw upon their own experiences to make subject matter meaningful. This paper analyses prospective teachers' opportunities to connect subject matter with workplace contexts. It examines the degree of importance prospective teachers place on workplace connections and the ways in which they incorporate these connections in classroom lesson plans. Results suggest that given opportunities to visit workplace sites, it is not a trivial task for prospective teachers to: 1) make the mathematics in work explicit, and 2) keep the mathematics contextualized when designing activities and problems for students. These results have implications for teacher education and the support prospective teachers require in building networks connecting mathematics, pedagogy,and work.
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Nicol, C. Where's the Math? Prospective Teachers Visit the Workplace. Educational Studies in Mathematics 50, 289–309 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021211207232
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021211207232