Teacher Education Programs Must Attend to Prospective Teachers’ Beliefs and
Conceptions
As we note above, an alarming number of preservice elementary teachers do not
believe they can be effective teachers of mathematics. This result suggests that
preservice teachers’ mathematics content and methods courses need to address more
than mathematics content and pedagogy; they also need to focus on helping these
prospective teachers develop healthy attitudes towards mathematics and beliefs about
the nature of mathematics and how it should be taught. Even though there is growing
concern in the U.S. for preservice teachers to gain adequate mathematical and
pedagogical content knowledge, there should also be concern about what beliefs
teacher candidates have about mathematics since these beliefs will impact not only
how they will teach but also the children these prospective teachers will teach. Foss
and Kleinsasser (2001) have observed: “Today, political pressure to restructure
schools and concerns for quality in teaching imply that research on the culture of
teacher education and the methods courses therein is as timely as research in
elementary classrooms” (p. 289). As we continue with our investigation into the
nature of the beliefs and conceptions about mathematics of preservice elementary
teachers, we must at the same time give heed to how our programs of teacher
preparation should be modified.
References
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Wilson, M., & Cooney, T. J. (2002). Mathematics teacher change and development: The
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Convention