The Effect of Teaching Experience in After-School Learning Programs: Implication for the Development of Mathematics Teacher Education Program

대학생 교사제의 효과 분석: 사범대학 수학교사교육 프로그램 개발을 위한 제언

University teacher education programs have sought for ways of how to improve student teaching in order to supply mathematics teachers with practical theory to achieve the goals of the current educational reform in school mathematics. In this context, the purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of student teachers' teaching experience in the after-school mathematics programs and the ways of how to develop the after-school learning programs as an effective site for learning to teach based on the inquiry into student teachers' own teaching experience. For the purpose, data were collected through the interviews with the student teachers who had taught after-school mathematics class. In addition, data were collected through survey, class observation, and seminal meetings with the student teachers in order to supplement the findings from the interview analysis. Data analysis focused on the student teachers' experience with teaching in after-school mathematics classes, that is, what and how they had learned as teachers, what kinds of difficulties they encountered in their teaching and supports that they expect to improve their learning through teaching. The analysis shows that the teaching experience in the after-school programs had positively contributed to their development as future mathematics teachers. Specifically, the after-school programs provide the site for learning through teaching at the early stage of teacher education program. The after-school programs provided the students teachers for the opportunity to participate peripherally in educational practice of school. Through the participation, the student teachers developed positive attitudes toward teaching career and became to have more solid ideas about how to teach mathematics. Based on the analysis, this research provides following suggestions concerning how to improve student teaching. First, it is necessary to provide student teachers to participate into the practice of teaching at the early stage of teacher education programs. Second, it is important to give students teacher opportunity to participate in teaching at peripheral and legitimate positions. Finally, it is necessary to construct mentoring networks to support student teachers to move from a peripheral position toward a center of teaching practice.