Mathematics Teacher Educators Teaching to Teach: Tasks Selected and Formative Purposes in Initial Education
Keywords:
mathematics teacher educators, teaching didactics of mathematics, task themesAbstract
The study reported in this article examined mathematics teacher educators who teach didactics of mathematics in Uruguay. It analysed the tasks they selected and the purposes for which these were used in initial teacher education. The study involved twelve mathematics teacher educators from three teacher-education institutes and employed an in-depth qualitative case-study design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and task exemplars used by the teacher educators. The findings indicate a wide range of tasks aligned with categories proposed in the literature—including reflecting on similarities and differences, designing and solving problems, learning through the study of practice, selecting resources, and identifying barriers to learning—yet with a low prevalence of tasks that address the beliefs of prospective mathematics teachers. The tasks served diverse formative purposes, including task design and redesign, reflection on students’ thinking, lesson planning, managing interactions, resource analysis, types of proofs, and the languages present in the mathematics classroom. While most tasks aligned with established categories, some did not fit adequately—for example, tasks oriented towards the construction of the object to be taught. Additionally, broader purposes emerged that transcend immediate practice, viewing teacher education as a space for preparing prospective mathematics teachers to become critical practitioners.
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