Abstract
This chapter analyzes the mathematical background and related program experiences of pre-service elementary education candidates (defined here as grade levels K–6) in the United States. The chapter includes an annotated review of selected international perspectives which have the potential to influence this topic [International perspective derived from recent international research and selected papers from ICME 13 TSG 47 (Hamburg Germany July 24–31, 2016)]. The analysis traces historical elements of elementary teacher preparation in the United States, considers the importance of mathematical knowledge for teaching at the elementary school level, current issues related to teacher accreditation in the U.S. and internationally, and the potential of elementary school mathematics specialists. It concludes by presenting current and emerging challenges related to elementary education programs, including supply and demand, program quality and the need for ongoing research, with particular attention to the impact of mathematical knowledge for teaching, elementary mathematics specialist models, and preparation provider impact and integrity.
Keywords
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
This chapter addresses issues related to mathematics education for pre-service elementary (K–6) teacher education and does not, in a very direct way, address the development, research, and challenges related to early childhood (N-3) teacher education.
References
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. (2013). The changing teacher preparation profession: A report from AACTE’S professional education data system. Washington, D.C.: Author.
Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) (2009). Standards for elementary mathematics specialists: A reference for teacher credentialing and degree programs. San Diego, CA: Author.
Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) (2013). Standards for elementary mathematics specialists: A reference for teacher credentialing and degree programs. San Diego, CA: AMTE.
Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE) (2017). Standards for mathematics teacher preparation. Raleigh, NC: Author.
Ball, D. L., & Bass, H. (2003). Toward a practice-based theory of mathematical knowledge for teaching. In B. Davis, & E. Simmt (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2002 annual meeting of the Canadian mathematics education study group (pp. 3–14). Edmonton, AB: CMESG/GDEDM.
Ball, D. L., Thames, M. H., & Phelps, G. (2008). Content knowledge for teaching: What makes it special? Journal of Teacher Education, 59(5), 389–407.
Becker, E. & Gleason, N. K. (1927). Departmentalization in the intermediate grades, The Elementary School Journal, 28(1), 62–66.
Bunker, F. (1916). Reorganization of the public school system. United States Bureau of Education Bulletin. (Bulletin no. 8). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) (2001). The Mathematical education of teachers. Washington, DC: American Mathematics Society.
Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) (2012). The Mathematical education of teachers II. Washington, DC: American Mathematical Society.
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) (2017). Draft K–6 elementary teacher standards. Washington, D.C.: Author.
Dossey, J. (1984). Elementary school mathematics specialists: Where are they? The Arithmetic Teacher, 32(3), 50.
Fennell, F. (1978). The Developing elementary mathematics enthusiasts (DEME) Project. Annapolis, MD: Maryland Higher Education Commission.
Fennell, F. (2006). We need elementary school mathematics specialists now. NCTM News Bulletin. Reston, VA: NCTM.
Fennell, F., Kobett, B., Swartz, B, & Wray, J. (2016, February). The elementary mathematics specialist movement: Maintaining the momentum. Presentation at the AMTE Annual Conference, Irvine, CA.
Gerretson, H., Bosnick, J., & Schofield, K. (2008). Promising practice: A case for content specialists as the elementary classroom teacher. The Teacher Educator Journal, 43(4), 302–314.
Gojak, L. M. (2013). It’s elementary! Rethinking the role of the elementary classroom teacher. NCTM Summing Up. Reston, VA: NCTM.
Günes, G. (2016, July). The mathematical backgrounds and mathematics self-efficacy perceptions of pre-service primary school teachers. Paper presented at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Hamburg, Germany.
Hood, L. (2009). “Platooning” instruction. Harvard Education Letter, 25(6). Retrieved from http://www.hepg.org/hel/article/426.
Jensen, B., Roberts-Hull, K., Magee, J. & Ginnivan, L. (2016). Not so elementary: Primary school teacher quality in high-performing systems. Washington, DC: National Center on Education and the Economy.
Labaree, D. F. (2008). An uneasy relationship: The history of teacher education in the university. In M. Cochran-Smith, S. Feiman-Nemser, & J. McIntyre (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Teacher Education: Enduring Issues in Changing Contexts (3rd ed.). (pp. 290–306). Washington, DC: Association of Teacher Educators.
Lajoie, C. (2016, July). Learning to act in-the-moment: prospective elementary teachers’ roleplaying on numbers. Paper presented at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Hamburg, Germany.
Lin, F. & Hui-Yu H. (2016, July). Using mathematics-pedagogy tasks to facilitate professional growth of elementary pre-service teachers. Paper presented at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Hamburg, Germany.
Lott, J. (2003). The time has come for Pre-K–5 mathematics specialists. NCTM News Bulletin. Reston, VA: NCTM.
McGatha, M. (2009). Mathematics specialists and mathematics coaches: What does the research say? In J. R Quander (Ed.) NCTM Research Briefs. Reston, VA: NCTM.
McGatha, M., Davis, R., & Stokes, A. (2015). The impact of mathematics coaching on teachers and students. In M. Fish (Ed.) NCTM Research Briefs. Reston, VA: NCTM.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (2010). The role of elementary mathematics specialists in the teaching and learning of mathematics—joint position statement. Retrieved from http://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Position-Statements/The-Role-of-Elementary-Mathematics-Specialists-in-the-Teaching-and-Learning-of-Mathematics/.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2012). NCATE/NCTM program standards: Programs for initial preparation of mathematics teachers. Reston, VA: Authors.
National Governors Association (NGA) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) (2010). Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Washington, DC: Authors.
National Mathematics Advisory Panel (NMAP). 2008. Foundations for success: The final report of the national mathematics advisory panel. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
National Research Council (1989). Everybody counts: A report to the nation on the future of mathematics education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, P.L. 107–110, 20 U.S.C. § 6319 (2002).
Pierce, P. R. (1935). The origin and development of the public school principalship, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Shaughnessy, M, & Boerst, T. (2016). Designing simulations to learn about preservice teachers’ capabilities with eliciting and interpreting student thinking. Paper presented at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Hamburg, Germany.
Shulman, L. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4–14.
Tucker, M. (2012, January). An international perspective on teacher quality. Education Week. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/top_performers/2012/01/an_international_perspective_on_teacher_quality.html.
United States Department of Education (2014). Title II Education Act report. Retrieved from https://title2.ed.gov/Public/Home.aspx.
Vula, E. & Kingil-Kastrati, J. (2016). Pre-Service teachers’ procedural and conceptual knowledge of fractions. Paper presented at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Hamburg, Germany.
Yang, S. (2016). A comparison of curriculum structure for prospective elementary math teacher programs between the United States and China. Paper presented at the 13th International Congress on Mathematical Education, Hamburg, Germany.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
(Skip) Fennell, F. (2018). Preparing Elementary School Teachers of Mathematics: A Continuing Challenge. In: Stylianides, G., Hino, K. (eds) Research Advances in the Mathematical Education of Pre-service Elementary Teachers. ICME-13 Monographs. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68342-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68342-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-68341-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-68342-3
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)