Research and Teacher Education: In Search of Common Ground

Abstract

Most mathematics educators are involved in the practice of teacher education at some level. Indeed, the field of mathematics education is predicated on the assumption that someone has to be educated to teach mathematics in our schools. This raises the question of what it means to be educated in o rder to become a teacher of mathematics. What kinds of knowledge do teachers need to become effective teachers of mathematics? What sorts of experiences are needed for teachers to acquire this knowledge? A fundamental question for mathematics teacher educators is how the field of teacher education can be conceptualized so that programs and activities can be created to assist in the acquisition of this knowledge. Given the high visibility of standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (NCTM, 1988, 1991, in press), a question of interest to many is, What does it take to develop teachers who can move the field toward realizing these standards?