Student teachers – Teaching & Learning Research Initiative

Mathematical Reasoning and Knowledge in Initial Teacher Education (MARKITE)

Introduction The New Zealand Government’s goal is to have an education system that equips all learners with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to be successful citizens in the 21st century (New Zealand Government, 2011); government policy recognises that mathematical understanding is fundamental to effective participation in society, and delivers significant social and economic benefits (Tertiary Education Commission, 2012). Unfortunately, studies suggest that a significant proportion of the adult population does not have the level of mathematical thinking needed to function effectively in society (Alkema & Rean, 2014; Department of Education and Skills, 2011; Satherley, Lawes, & Sok, 2008). Mathematical thinking and reasoning skills are embedded in many of the activities

Are they ready to teach? Assessing student teachers’ final practicum

Introduction Although the practicum is generally accepted as a core element in teacher preparation programmes, the assessment of student teachers’ competence during practicums appears to be particularly problematic as making judgments about complex performances, such as teaching, is a sophisticated process. As with any form of assessment, judgments are made against some criterion or normative standard, and this judgment must ultimately involve some implicit or explicit understanding of what constitutes good teaching (Porter, Youngs, & Odden, 2001), which in itself is a contested construct. In this 2-year research project, Social Judgment Theory (Hammond, Rohrbaugh, Mumpower, & Adelman, 1977) was used to better understand judgments of “readiness to teach”. Social Judgment Theory