Bob's Shoe Store: Modelling Task Implementation and Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematical Discussions
Keywords:
mathematics teacher education research, pre-service teachers, challenging tasks, mathematics discussionsAbstract
One of the constant challenges facing the teacher educator is connecting theory with practice in a meaningful way, while operating within the constraints of limited tutorial time and requirements to cover an ever-increasing range of course topics. While pre-service teachers (PSTs) are exposed to a variety of classroom experiences on placement, there is no guarantee that they will observe modelling of mathematical teaching approaches that are advocated in their university courses. This article reports on a teaching activity conducted with a class of second-year undergraduate Bachelor of Education PSTs, who were studying the first mathematics pedagogy unit in their course. During a lesson, the teacher educator modelled how to teach with challenging tasks, and how to incorporate Smith and Stein's Five Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematical Discussions into their teaching approach. This teaching account would be of relevance and interest to other teacher educators who are looking to engage their PSTs in authentic classroom experiences to extend and complement practicum experiences.
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