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Marcus Witt Melanie Goode Christopher Ibbett

Abstract

Trainee teachers on one year postgraduate training courses (PGCE in England) have little time to develop the required mathematical subject knowledge, yet this is expected of them. Trainees embarking on their teacher training bring a range of mathematical experiences, some of which could hamper still further their ability to acquire this knowledge. In this pilot study, two primary trainee teachers, with very different mathematical backgrounds, and their mathematics tutor explore in detail the processes through which they became confident and competent primary school mathematics teachers. From these experiences, we suggest that trainees’ reflection and Dewey-ian open-mindedness are essential ingredients if they are to acquire the necessary knowledge to become confident primary mathematics teachers and that instilling these habits of mind in their trainees is an important part of role of providers of initial teacher education (ITE).

Keywords

Mathematics; anxiety; teacher education; primary; confidence; competent; subject knowledge.

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