Being and Becoming a Mathematics Teacher Educator in and for Differing Contexts: Some lessons learned

Abstract

In this self-study, I examine how differing locations and cultural contexts shaped my understandings of being and becoming a mathematics teacher educator. The purpose was to improve my own practice, accompanied by the hope that what I learned could also be potentially beneficial to other teacher educators. I selected three sustained, collaborative professional development opportunities in markedly different locations and cultural contexts in the USA as the focus for this study. Qualitative approaches were used to select and analyze artifacts from databases for each of these locations. This study reaffirmed my belief that developing a practice that positions mathematics teaching and learning as sense-making requires not only growth in knowledge of mathematics content and pedagogy but also a major shift in perspective. With the help of critical friends, I identified that worthwhile tasks, productive discourse, and supportive learning environments were key elements in my support of such a shift in perspective with teachers. I also learned that the specifics of my planning and implementation of these elements must vary, nuanced according to my understanding of the location and cultural context. While I cannot impose my views of mathematics education on others, I can work toward transforming my practice while supporting teachers as they engage in transforming their practices.

Keywords:

• mathematics education
• mathematics teacher education
• professional development
• cultural context
• self-study
• educational change