The aim of this study was to examine how pre-service teachers performed in tasks related to three specific aspects of curricular noticing. The participants completed a two-part written task in which they solved three pattern generalization problems and sequenced them for teaching purposes. Inductive content analysis was used to analyze the…

Mathematics pre-service teachers (PSTs) need opportunities to learn best practices in teaching mathematics, e.g., productive struggle. Productive struggle happens when students work through challenging problems that are not straightforward. This paper describes mathematics PSTs' engagement with productive struggle in a mathematics methods course.…

In this study, we sought to understand what might be learned about preservice teachers' mathematics learner and mathematics educator identities in the context of a problem-solving focused mathematics content course. Twenty-two preservice teachers participated in this study as part of their undergraduate teacher preparation program. We implemented…

In 2014 NCTM advocated for productive struggle by expressing the need for teachers to allow their students the time necessary to grapple with their mathematical "uncertainties." We posit pre-service teachers need opportunities to productively struggle when learning and applying their mathematical understanding in order to understand how…

The aim of this study is to reveal and evaluate the attending and interpreting skills of student thinking of prospective teachers, as well as their instructional suggestions as responding skills. The current study was conducted with 29 prospective mathematics teachers (PMTs) within a qualitative design in the context of probability. First, three…

This study used units coordination as a theoretical lens to investigate how whole number and fraction reasoning may be related for preservice teachers at the conclusion of a math methods class. The study contributes quantitative evidence that units coordination provides a common foundation for both mathematical knowledge for teaching whole number…

This study investigated how 155 pre-service teachers solved three pattern generalization problems in a two-part written test and sequenced them for teaching purposes to demonstrate their curricular noticing. Participants' solutions were analyzed using inductive content analysis, which showed that only 8.4% of PSTs produced correct answers to all…

Whole-class discussion of open mathematics tasks is an instructional practice K-12 mathematics educators report has the potential to engage all learners. Because this practice has not been extensively and systematically researched, this study aims to describe and analyze the engagement and experience of learners in open mathematics tasks. Drawing…

First-year elementary pre-service teachers usually conduct field observations but are barely offered opportunities to engage in well-structured teaching situations. In the current study, we implemented mixed-reality simulations (MRS) in a mathematics methods course to improve elementary pre-service teacher's abilities to elicit, question, and…

We report the design of an analog technology, what we refer to as a SunRule, that uses sunlight to model multiplication. Physical models that explore multiplication are fixtures in elementary mathematics classrooms. Our interest in physical models of multiplication was driven by an overarching design problem: How could a physical tool realize a…

According to the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE, 2017), teachers should first try to see problems through their students' eyes, anticipate, understand, and analyze students' varied ways of thinking, and respond appropriately. In this study, we engaged preservice teachers (PTs) in planning to implement problem-solving tasks;…

When teaching through problem solving, effective mathematics teachers need to lead discussions that assist students in making connections between different solution strategies. However, while teaching a methods course for preservice teachers (PSTs), we noticed that after solving a problem and presenting various solution strategies, many PSTs…

In this study, we investigated how elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs) perceive using representations in teaching mathematics and what fractional representations (e.g., manipulatives or models) they suggest to guide students' incorrect use of representations in learning fractions. A written questionnaire was administrated to 151 PSTs at a large…

In a multi-institutional study, the authors examine elementary preservice teachers' (PSTs') noticing skills before and after their engagement in a mathematics methods course. In particular, the authors examine their use of "Cognitively Guided Instruction" (CGI) as a means of supporting the development of PSTs' "professional noticing…

Mathematics and science have similar learning processes (SLPs) and it has been proposed that courses focused on these and other similarities promote transfer across disciplines. However, it is not known how the use of these processes in lessons taught to children change throughout a preservice teacher education course or which are most likely to…