Mathematics Teacher Educators’ Orientations Towards Academic and School Mathematics
Keywords:
mathematics teacher education research, reference practices, pedagogical communication, academic mathematics, school mathematicsAbstract
The study reported in this article examines how mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) mobilise and articulate reference practices in their pedagogical communication with teachers. Reference practices designate the constellations of norms, epistemic values, artefacts, and validation criteria that MTEs invoke in their professional work. Pedagogical communication refers to the processes by which MTEs anticipate, select, sequence, and legitimate educational messages. Using a qualitative approach, data were generated through classroom observations (recorded through field notes and video recordings), and course documents in two Brazilian settings: a Professional Master's programme for in-service teachers and a prospective mathematics teacher education programme. Selected video-recorded segments were transcribed, and the field notes and transcripts were coded line by line through thematic analysis procedures. Two contrasting orientations were identified. In the first, academic mathematics functioned as the reference practice: objects, sequences, and validity criteria followed formal definitions and proofs. In the second, school mathematics served as the reference: curriculum prescriptions, textbooks, and evidence of student reasoning organised the formative experience. Three analytical dimensions characterise these orientations: the source of objects and tasks, the prevailing epistemic values, and the validation criteria invoked. Drawing on these findings and prior literature, a slider representation that maps the range of positions MTEs may assume along a continuum between academic and school mathematics is proposed. The slider offers a tool for the analysis of professional practice and promotion of teacher reflection.
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