The Building Blocks

Abstract

In this book chapter, I discuss models of professional knowledge that apply to mathematics teachers and illustrate this with ways that beginning mathematics teachers can develop their knowledge. This includes: • Specialist pedagogical knowledge for teaching mathematics • Beliefs about how mathematics is learned and taught • Mathematics teacher orientations • Connecting representations of knowledge in mathematics • Professional learning within a collaborative community of mathematics teachers.

Learning to teach mathematics is a complex challenge for teachers and especially beginning teachers who bring with them a set of beliefs, experiences and dispositions that will influence their teacher identities, their beliefs about the classroom and how they behave as teachers. Within the context of learning to teach mathematics, beginning teachers will also encounter perspectives on the classroom from teacher educators in school and in other organisations such as the institute of higher education. Thus chapter addresses these aspects of learning to teach mathematics.