TEAMS OF PROSPECTIVE MATHEMATICS TEACHERS: Multiple Problems and Multiple Solutions

In this chapter, I first address four interrelated problems that mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) are currently facing in the education of prospective mathematics teachers (PMTs): (1) The importance of challesnging mathematics and PMTs’ limited experience in challenging mathematics; (2) Changing approaches to mathematics teaching and the resistance to change in teaching; (3) The need to intermingle the different components of teachers’ knowledge in teacher education; and (4) The difficulty of becoming a member of a community of practice. To analyse a variety of solutions that MTEs suggest for these problems when working with teams of PMTs, I provide in a second part a comparative analysis of 30 studies focusing on diverse issues integrated in PMT education programmes. Finally, I make connections between the problems outlined in the chapter and the solutions discussed in the observed studies. The argument presented in the chapter is that even though many solutions are suggested and proven to be effective in solving some of the outlined problems, we are still lack of evidence that those solutions are ample for preparing PMTs to become members of the communities of practice they join. I suggest that combining the various solutions proposed for the education of teams of teachers in various studies is necessary in order to prepare PMTs to be effective mathematics teachers.