• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.113-133
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• 2020

Pre-service teachers (PST) are students who are developing their mindset, persistence, instructional practices, and perception of tasks from two perspectives: as current students and as future teachers. As part of a larger study with PSTs engaged in a mindset intervention, this study quantitatively investigated PSTs mindset and persistence. During professional development (PD), PSTs engaged in multiple strategies (MS) tasks that promoted changes to PSTs mindset and persistence. PSTs' mindset pre- and post- PD were categorized after attending at least 4 interventions as fixed, mixed, or growth using the theory of intelligence, and their persistence as high or low using the Grit-S. Changes in categorization were noticed and explored for reasons of what could be done to make mindset interventions more effective such as consistently using challenging mathematics tasks with more open ended answers and focusing on discussion based mathematical lessons.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.229-245
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• 2015

In this study, I investigated how pre-service teachers (PSTs) proved three geometric problems by using Geometer's SketchPad (GSP) software. Based on observations in class and results from a test of geometric reasoning, eight PSTs were sorted into four of the five van Hiele levels of geometric reasoning, which were then used to predict the PSTs' levels of reasoning on three tasks involving proofs using GSP. Findings suggested that the ways the PSTs justified their geometric reasoning across the three questions demonstrated their different uses of GSP depending on their van Hiele levels. These findings also led to the insight that the notion of "proof" had somewhat different meanings for students at different van Hiele levels of thought. Implications for the effective integration of technology into pre-service teacher education programs are discussed.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.181-217
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• 2020

This study explores how pre-service teachers (PSTs) view, interpret, and utilize non-textual elements (NTEs) in mathematics curriculum. Fifty-two PSTs, who enrolled in a mathematics methods course at a Midwestern university in the U.S., engaged in a three-part task that consisted of evaluations and modifications of NTEs in the sample mathematics curriculum materials. We ascertain what PSTs consider to be the strengths and weaknesses of NTEs, how they define the primary goals of NTEs, and how they would work to modify or adapt existing NTEs with effective teaching in mind. By using the Curricular Noticing Framework, we can better understand how PSTs recognize opportunities within mathematics curriculum and gain a deeper understanding regarding how PSTs' prior experiences may affect their curricular-attending habits, which has consequences for their future teaching. Findings indicate that PSTs understand NTEs to be simply a support for traditional mathematics curriculum, rather than tools on their own. Also, they tend to prefer NTEs that are familiar to them. From our findings, we draw implications for teacher educators who support PSTs' interpretation and utilization of NTEs.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.19-33
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• 2019

While the field of mathematics education strives to promote equitable mathematics learning and identifies it as a core instructional practice, less is known about its effective enactment. As teachers' teaching practices are dependent on their views and beliefs, this study investigated 133 elementary pre-service teachers' (PSTs') interpretations of diverse learners' learning experiences and proposed accommodations for them as reflected in their lesson planning process. Findings showed that PSTs came up with some strategies that are often suggested in teacher education literature, such as using multiple modes of representation and various grouping strategies. However, their responses were generic in nature rather than specific to diverse learners. Also, it was noted that many PSTs' interchangeably referred to the English Language Learners (ELLs), struggling learners, and culturally diverse learners, inferring that they thought that culturally diverse students must have been ELLs and that ELLs or culturally diverse students must have been weaker students in math. We found that the PSTs used their own frames while filtering and discarding information about diverse student populations to develop instructional plans, rather than based on the results of assessments of learning. We suggest that it is the critical first step to unwrap PSTs' unproven assumptions to better equip them for working with all of their future students.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.519-531
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• 2021

This study investigates the science teacher identity of pre-service science teachers (PSTs) in the context of a teaching practice course. Twenty-two PSTs who took the 'Biological Science Lab. for Inquiry Learning' course at the College of Education participated in this study. Artifacts created during the course were collected, and the teaching practices and reflections were recorded and transcribed. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine PSTs, recorded, and transcribed. We found the science teacher identity was not well revealed at the beginning of the course. Authoritative discourse appeared in the early oral reflections of PSTs, indicating that the PSTs perceived oral reflection activities as 'evaluation activities for teaching practice'. This perception shows that pre-service teachers participate in teaching practice courses as students attending a university, performing tasks and receiving evaluations from instructors. After the middle of the course, discourses showing the science teacher identity of the PSTs were observed. In the oral reflection after the middle part, dialogic discourses often arose, showing that the PSTs perceive the oral reflection activities as a 'learning activity for professional development'. In addition, in the second half, discourse appeared to connect and interpret one's experience with the teacher's activity, indicating that the PSTs perceive themselves as teachers at this stage. In addition, the perception of experimental classes was expanded through the course. During the course, the practice of equalizing the authority of the participants, providing a role model for reflection, and experiencing various positions from multiple viewpoints in the class had a positive effect on the formation and continuation of the teacher identity. This study provides implications on the teacher education process for teacher identity formation in PSTs.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.449-457
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• 2014

Recent studies have shown that teachers should have be aware of and understand students' misconceptions, which is one of the major components of PCK. However, teachers often have difficulties in understanding misconceptions and in applying appropriate instructional strategies to change misconceptions. Thus, we designed a method course for pre-service teachers (PSTs) adapting the concept of "teacher as researcher". In the course, PSTs conducted research to investigate students' misconceptions in physics. Twenty-five female PSTs participated in the study. They went through the research process including creating question items, administering items to their target populations, collecting and analyzing student responses, and writing a research paper. Data source included individual interviews with the PSTs, field notes during classroom observation and PSTs' research papers. The results were as follows. First, the PSTs confirmed students' misconceptions and learning difficulties in physics. They experienced discrepancies between their conjecture and research findings. Second, PSTs developed the sophisticated understanding of students' misconceptions and appropriate teaching strategies. Third, the research experience provided the PSTs opportunities to reexamine their physics content knowledge while creating items and explaining scientific concepts. They realized that physics teachers should develop sound understanding of physics concepts for guiding students to have less misconception. Lastly, they realized the necessity of being a teacher as a researcher.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.153-162
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• 2017

This study examined elementary pre-service teachers' (PSTs') perceived preparedness of high-leverage practices (HLPs) in mathematics teaching. Eighty-one elementary PSTs who enrolled in four sections of an elementary mathematics methods course at a Midwestern University in the United States participated in a survey that inquired their self-reported confidence and competence levels on HLPs. This study specifically investigated the comparison between PSTs' perceptions of HLPs and the mathematics teacher educators' expectations. Findings show several glaring differences between the PSTs' perceptions and experts' perceptions in regards to the complexity of some HLPs. This study suggests that initial teacher training programs should include more specific investment in PSTs' insights into details of each teaching practice in mathematics by deliberate decompositions.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.271-294
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of digital simulation by which pre-service teachers (PSTs) can approximate the core teaching practice of eliciting student thinking. This study examined PSTs' questions to elicit student thinking, their use of "pause" session and peer feedback, and their reflections on doing a digital simulation. We analyzed a two-hour digital simulation session with 13 PSTs who enrolled in the elementary mathematics methods course. The results showed that PSTs shifted their general questions to more content-specific questions throughout the simulation and made a quick transition to comparing students' strategies. The number of lead PST-initiated "pause" ranged one to four times for various reasons. Their peer-coaches did not voluntarily "pause" the simulation session but actively shared what they noticed from the student work samples and suggested the next teaching moves. Without utilizing the pause session, the dramatic improvement of questioning was not observed. Even though the PSTs felt overwhelmed with interacting with the student-avatars in real-time, they highlighted the benefits of simulations, appreciated the opportunity to learn the core teaching practice, and viewed this digital simulation as "real" and "authentic" experience. The findings of this study provide implications for re-designing a practice-based teacher education program.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.567-581
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• 2019

Service-Learning (S-L) is an experiential learning-based teaching-learning method that connects students with curriculum and school-based community service and raises students' academic ability and social responsibility awareness through the value of 'reflection' and 'reciprocity'. This study analyzed the case of S-L course of 'History of Science and Inquire Activity' for pre-service science teachers (PSTs). The S-L lectures linked to the subjects of the History of Science were conducted in terms of three stages (Preparation-Implementation-Evaluation), and S-L classes were conducted in three schools five times. The educational effects of S-L lectures were analyzed by collecting questionnaires, class observation and self-reported reflection diary. The PSTs were able to understand the school realities and improve the teaching abilities and pedagogic content knowledge through educational service activities. The PSTs who participated in the S-L course had hard time due to excessive learning time, the difficulty of preparing the class, the fear of the class, and trial and error. Nonetheless, most of the students responded that they were very satisfied (4.68) with the S-L lecture, and that they could develop self-efficacy for their future teaching career thank to this learning experience.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.211-222
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• 2016

This article examines K-8 pre-service teachers' (PSTs) engagement in lesson plan modification using the eight Mathematics Teaching Practices (MTPs) in Principles to Actions, the most recent landmark publication of framework by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in the U.S. The activity consisted of four phases that involved the analysis and modification of an existing lesson plan. Fifty-seven PSTs participated in the activity throughout the semester, and data from each phase was analyzed using the inductive content analysis approach. PSTs' initial conceptions of lesson planning reflected little on teaching practices (i.e., the MTPs) with more emphasis placed on the form - rather than function - of lesson elements. With the opportunity to interpret MTPs and analyze lesson plans using MTPs as an analytical lens, PSTs demonstrated various interpretations of MTPs, made efforts to incorporate MTPs into lessons, and attended to the interwoven nature of MTPs. This article also shares the challenges, conflicts, and tensions reported by PSTs during their participation of lesson plan modification; as such, the results from this study will inform the research examining the pedagogical (im)possibilities for utilizing MTPs in mathematics teacher training programs.