Pre-service mathematics teachers’ professional learning (5-10)

The course emphasizes how research in mathematics education can be applied in classrooms at the lower and upper secondary levels. It also focuses on mathematics teachers’ professional growth, reflection, and development. The course is divided into three modules of approximately equal scope:

Module 1: Equity and inclusion

In this module, students will explore mathematics teaching with a particular focus on equity, inclusion, and diversity. The teaching will also address multilingual classrooms, affective aspects of mathematics learning, ethnomathematics and Sámi perspectives, as well as critical mathematics education.

Module 2: Resources in mathematics teaching

This module deals with the use, adaptation, and development of various resources for mathematics teaching and learning, with a particular emphasis on ICT.

Module 3: Development of mathematics teaching practices

In this module, students will work on developing mathematics teaching practices through topics such as inquiry-based teaching, teachers’ noticing and teacher moves, task design, and assessment for and of learning.

Through their work in the course, students will strengthen their ability to make informed professional and pedagogical choices in mathematics teaching and to justify these in a reflective manner. Students will also further develop their competence in observing and analyzing teaching and learning in mathematics at the lower and upper secondary levels.

Knowledge

The candidate has

• a broad range of knowledge about modern research findings in inclusive mathematics education,
• advanced knowledge of the resource approach in mathematics education and the role that (text)books, classroom materials, and other resources play in the teaching of mathematics at the lower and upper secondary levels,
• advanced knowledge of ICT as a communication and mediation tool in mathematics education, and of how ICT can be used to construct mathematical meanings and to support the development of algorithmic thinking in mathematics teaching at grades 5-10,
• advanced knowledge of how mathematics teaching practices at grades 5-10 can be developed through various approaches, such as inquiry-based teaching, teachers’ noticing and teacher moves, task design, and assessment for and of learning.

Skills

The candidate can

• plan, design, analyze, and discuss teaching activities within the perspective of inclusive mathematics education at grades 5-10,
• refer to and critically evaluate specific resources to organize their own classroom activities, and plan and design domain-specific tasks within the mediating role of ICT and AI tools in teaching at the lower and upper secondary levels,
• apply principles from themes such as inquiry-based teaching, task design, and assessment for and of learning in their own teaching practice,
• use teacher noticing to identify and analyze students’ mathematical thinking and apply appropriate teacher moves to support and further develop students’ mathematical reasoning in mathematics teaching at the lower and upper secondary levels.

General competence

The candidate can

• contribute to the development of teaching practices and professional innovation in mathematics education at grades 5-10 through reflection on and exploration of their own and others’ practices within the school context,
• critically engage with, analyze, and reflect on mathematics education as a scientific discipline.

The teaching and learning methods will alternate between lectures, literature studies, work on assignments (individually and groups), discussions, as well as oral students’ presentations. Academic discussions and interactions are important ways of working and learning, and it is expected that the candidates actively contribute to such activities.

Teaching Language

Norwegian or English