Preservice Special Education Teachers’ Experience of a Math Methods Course: Examining the Development of Personal and Pedagogical Efficacy

Abstract

Students with disabilities have scored well below their same-aged peers on national mathematics standardized tests for decades. This problem is compounded by special education teachers who lack strong content knowledge, experience math anxiety, and have poor self-confidence in their ability to teach math. This qualitative study explores three preservice special education teachers' experiences in a Math Methods course designed to encourage students to view mathematics through a growth mindset. After the course ended, individual interviews were conducted, and findings revealed personal growth in confidence and pedagogical knowledge. Components that influenced their decision included Socratic conversations centered around a mathematical mindset book study, a focus student project, and extra hands-on application time resulting from the use of the flipped instruction model. This information contributes to educator preparation literature as teacher educators work to best support future P-12 educators to impact their future students and help overcome barriers to learning.