RUME 26
2024
Omaha, Nebraska
My Mom Supports My Teaching: One Mathematician’s Journey in Learning to Teach
Page: 441
In this contributed report, I tell a story surrounding one mathematician’s learning to teach mathematics content courses designed for prospective elementary teachers. Namely, I describe the mathematician’s background and the series of events that pushed this newer mathematics instructor to develop productive dispositions towards their students, leverage support from their mom, a former elementary teacher, and navigate challenging student questions in the classroom. This report draws on results from my dissertation study, a narrative inquiry of one mathematics instructor, involving a semester-long collection and analysis of classroom observations, observations of instructor meetings, weekly instructor reflection journal entries, three instructor interviews, and instructor-written mathematics teaching and learning autobiographies. A key implication is that mathematics instructors may benefit from early experiences developing productive mindsets towards teachers and teaching, and need access to individuals who value teachers and teaching and who avoid deficit discourses around teachers or students.