PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2019
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The institutionalized paradox: Our teachers are not trained to teach
Page: 213
In a culture where STEM preparation is rapidly becoming of utmost importance to the nation’s economy and educators are challenged to increase diversity and equity amongst students, quality mathematics instruction at the collegiate level is critical. Yet the majority of undergraduate mathematics teachers are not formally trained in pedagogy. This is a systemic issue, an institutionalized paradox, which originates in the mathematicians’ training grounds - mathematics PhD programs. This paper provides background on this issue and focuses on a survey of university mathematicians concerning their formal academic training and their outlooks and prioritization of pedagogical training. Attention is drawn to the disconnect between university mathematicians’ beliefs about the important role of pedagogical education in mathematics program and their resistance to promoting its implementation as a basic institutional requirement. A call for action is suggested to remedy these institutionalized systemic paradoxes.