RUME 27
2025
Alexandria, Virginia
Mathematicians Reject, Teachers Embrace: Different Perspectives on the Role and Significance of Disciplinary Obligations in Secondary Mathematics Teaching
Page: 825
A key objective of academic mathematics courses in teacher education is to enhance teachers’ awareness of disciplinary values and principles, ensuring alignment between mathematics education and the discipline. However, research indicates that this goal is often not met. A possible explanation is that mathematicians and teachers have different perspectives regarding the discipline’s role in mathematics education. This study examines these perspectives in three extreme cases, where mathematicians and secondary mathematics teachers disagreed on the legitimacy of secondary mathematics activities from a disciplinary standpoint. Analysis of professional obligations that underlie the mathematicians’ and teachers’ reasoning reveals distinct interpretations of the obligation to the discipline and of its implications and significance in consideration of other obligations. These findings emphasize that teacher education should go beyond fostering awareness of disciplinary values and principles, and support teachers in learning how they can apply this understanding effectively in school to guide and inform their teaching.