A Playlist as A Metaphor for Engaging in a Collaborative Self-Study of Mathematics Teacher Educator Practices

ABSTRACT

Mathematics teacher educators can use video clips of children solving mathematics problems to help teacher candidates attend to nuanced aspects of teaching and learning mathematics. However, the process of selecting and using video clips to support teacher candidates’ learning to teach mathematics is underexplored as are the ways in which mathematics teacher educators can use self-study to examine these processes. In this article, we present the Playlist Process – a method we developed, using the metaphor of a playlist, to examine our practice – and the three insights that emerged during our multi-year, multi-institutional collaborative self-study: (1) use explicit scaffolds to support the development of teacher candidates’ awareness; (2) incorporate Torres’ Rights of the Learner as a tool for supporting teacher candidates’ learning about equitable practices; and (3) increase attention to grain size and progressions of children’s solution strategies. The article concludes by considering how the Playlist Process can support other teacher educators as they engage in self-studies of their practice and collaborate across institutions. Implications for future practice and research are included.

KEYWORDS:

• Video clips
• playlist
• metaphor
• elementary mathematics
• teacher education
• self-study

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.