Post-service Education of Mathematical Teachers

Abstract

The post-service education of mathematics teachers in China addresses three levels, novice, common, and backbone teachers. The education of a novice teacher is overseen by a tutor who is a member of the mathematics team in the teacher’s school. The education of common teachers has two main categories; one is regular teaching and research activities (public lectures, discussion lectures on different ways of teaching certain content, teaching philosophy contests, problem-solving contests, etc.) that are held by schools or teaching and research groups at city or county level. The other category is online in-service training that is organized and implemented by municipal governments’ trusted training institutions. The training of backbone teachers is divided into city and national levels. It usually consists of short-term, focused training projects combined with subsequent follow-up seminars. The main focus of training is the implementation of new basic education courses, as well as to meet personalized needs relating to teachers’ professional development, and to guide teachers in their professional growth. The training content can be divided into six categories, development of teachers’ professional ethics, revision and expansion of knowledge, mathematics education theory and its applications, research methods in mathematical education, modern education skills, and discussions about teaching practice problems. The administration and assessment processes are concerned mainly with the state’s construction of information and administrative systems for national teacher training, the establishment and monitoring of training quality standards, and the regular implementation of training quality assessment.