Reflections on the Dilemmas and Tensions in Mathematics Education Courses for Student Teachers |
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| Authors: | Sandra Schuck |
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| Institution: | University of Technology , Sydney |
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| Abstract: | The paper outlines the dilemmas and paradoxes faced by lecturers and student teachers as they interact in a mathematics education subject that deals with both mathematics as a discipline and as a language, and with appropriate pedagogies for the teaching and learning of mathematics in primary schools. For the lecturer there is a tension between comforting and challenging the students. Are they to be wooed into a more positive attitude to mathematics, at the cost of avoiding the complexity of the discipline; or are they to be challenged by the unique character of mathematics, at the risk of alienation and exclusion? The latter often returns students to their original perception of maths as a harsh and unforgiving subject which is beyond their capabilities as they struggle with unfamiliar concepts and the discomfort of ‘not knowing’. For student teachers there is, paradoxically, a desire to ‘instil understanding’ when they themselves may not fully understand. They often idealise what is good practice but deny it in their own learning. |
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