Analyzing Preservice Mathematics Teachers’ Professional Noticing

ABSTRACT

Recent research in mathematics education has highlighted the importance of teachers’ abilities to professionally notice students’ thinking. This study examined what preservice teachers professionally notice during lesson study to further describe their attention to students’ mathematical thinking, their interpretations about students’ reasoning, and the resulting decisions they make. Findings indicate preservice teachers commonly provided evaluative comments but were able to engage in some instances of more advanced Noticing in which they detailed students’ strategies and analyzed evidence of student thinking to formulate interpretations about mathematical thinking. Analysis of these findings resulted in a framework for analyzing the content of focused and extended professional Noticing.

KEYWORDS:

• Professional noticing
• preservice teachers
• mathematics
• lesson study

Additional information

Funding

Support for this project was funded by the National Science Foundation Project #0732143. The ideas in this manuscript are solely generated by the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation. We would like to thank the PI and Co-PIs on the grant, Enrique Galindo, Valarie Akerson, Meredith Park Rogers, and Anderson Norton III.

Notes on contributors

Julie M. Amador

Julie Amador is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Idaho. Her research focuses on the intersection of professional noticing and mathematics education, with an emphasis on technology and the role of lesson study. Much of her scholarly work, including funded projects, focus on supporting preservice teachers’ noticing.

Ingrid Carter

Ingrid Carter received her Ph.D. from Indiana University, Bloomington in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Science Education. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Elementary Education and Literacy at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Rick A. Hudson

Rick A. Hudson is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Southern Indiana, where he teaches content and methods courses for preservice K-12 teachers. His scholarly work focuses on issues in mathematics teacher education and the K-12 teaching of data analysis and statistics.