Márcia Cristina de Costa Trindade Cyrino

Current Research on Prospective Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Professional Identity

The prospective secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs)’ identity development is a complex process that includes the personal, professional, intellectual, moral, and political dimensions of prospective teachers and the groups in which they are involved. Analyzing how PSMTs construct their identities in the spaces and moments offered and promoted by pre-service education is an important issue. Identity is a construct widely investigated in a number of research fields, such as sociology, anthropology, social psychology, and education and has a variety of interpretations. Even though identity is a relatively new notion within the field of mathematics education it is seen as a relevant area of study within mathematics teacher education research, and some researchers have used it as a theoretical lens. In this survey we analyzed research studies related to the professional identities of prospective secondary mathematics teachers.

Análise de tarefas matemáticas em uma proposta de formação continuada de professoras que ensinam matemática

Neste artigo, discutimos como a analise de tarefas matematicas, em uma proposta de formacao continuada, pode auxiliar professores que ensinam matematica, nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental, a (re)pensar a sua pratica pedagogica. Para tanto, investigamos um grupo de 14 professoras, que atuam nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental em uma escola da rede municipal de ensino no Parana, no desenvolvimento de uma proposta de formacao continuada, constituida na perspectiva de um grupo de estudos, que tinha como objetivo analisar tarefas matematicas. As reflexoes e as discussoes ocorridas nesse grupo de estudos nos permitiram identificar indicios de mudancas quanto: a escolha/elaboracao de tarefas, ao trabalho com os alunos, e ao enfrentamento das crencas que permeiam a pratica pedagogica. O compromisso/engajamento mutuo em torno de um empreendimento articulado e um repertorio compartilhado foram elementos centrais da pratica dessas professoras no processo de formacao continuada, e revelaram aspectos do seu desenvolvimento profissional.

Reflexões sobre a constituição de uma história orientada para a formação inicial de professores de matemática

Relatam-se algumas reflexoes sobre a participacao da historia na formacao inicial de professores de Matematica, produto de uma investigacao que teve como objetivo constituir uma historia sobre alguns metodos de determinacao de areas, particularmente de alguns trabalhos sobre a quadratura de figuras planas, orientada para a educacao matematica de futuros professores de Matematica. Na constituicao dessa historia utilizamos a perspectiva de uma Historia Pedagogicamente Vetorizada proposta por Miguel e Miorim. Neste texto, apresentamos questoes problematizadoras e reflexoes sobre a cultura matematica na qual foram construidos esses metodos, que podem evidenciar multiplas dimensoes da Matematica, tirando-a de seu suposto isolamento das demais praticas sociais que participam da constituicao dessa cultura matematica.

Mathematics Teacher Education: Synthesis and Perspectives of Research Developed in Brazil

This chapter considers projects developed by the working group on teacher education of the Brazilian Society of Mathematics Education and discussed at the sixth International Seminar of Mathematics Education. Twenty-six projects were presented in four areas of focus: teacher education in the initial stages of elementary education; knowledge necessary for teaching; narratives and texts enunciated by (future) teachers; education practices and practices of teacher educators. Initially we present briefly the projects, and, at the end of each focus area, we produce a synthesis looking for interconnections between the projects and international literature. We identified a multiplicity of focus points and methodological approaches, but also some fragilities and gaps. Our analysis indicates that some themes have been recurrent since the working group was founded in 2000 although with some theoretical references updated and expanded; others are emerging, such as concept study, and others remain absent, such as teacher professionalisation processes. Finally, we point out some particularities of the Brazilian studies that reveal involvement between the Brazilian scientific community and trends that mark the important practices of teacher education and the education of teacher educator.

Summary and Looking Ahead

Throughout the survey one can see that there is a steady growth in the research around prospective secondary mathematics teacher education. Also several of the studies were repeated in at least two of the sections due to the nature of the factors that were studied. It is difficult to write about teacher knowledge without some acknowledgment of how knowledge or lack of knowledge can impact teachers’ mathematics identities. Furthermore, field experiences are contexts in which PSMTs’ knowledge and identities are impacted and shaped. In addition, the survey revealed that mathematics education researchers are thinking more deeply about how to foster the growth of effective mathematics teachers in a myriad of ways.