Abstract
The See Blue Mathematics Clinic provides prospective teachers an authentic teaching environment via a service learning experience. In this qualitative study, the authors examine how a service learning course prepares prospective secondary mathematics teachers (n = 55) to teach students who struggle in mathematics. Data collected from reflection essays and interviews revealed the impact the service learning experience had on prospective secondary mathematics teachers and how it notably influenced their instruction. The results of this study add to the growing evidence for teacher preparation programs to create additional field experiences to better prepare future teachers.
Highlights
Perhaps the most traditional and iconic component of university teacher preparation programs in any discipline is experiential education, which is considered one of the most important and powerful components of teacher education programs [24]
What can be done by teacher education programs within universities to increase the level of preparedness of prospective teachers (PTs) in addition to field experience? We propose that a course situated in service learning, an experiential experience involving “achievement of curricular goals through authentic school-based experiences” [8], p. 316) in an informal learning environment, will better equip aspiring teachers to handle the challenges of educating a classroom of students, including those students who are identified as struggling in mathematics
As we examined the research question of how a service learning course prepares prospective mathematics teachers to teach students who struggle in mathematics, five prominent themes emerged from the data
Summary
Perhaps the most traditional and iconic component of university teacher preparation programs in any discipline is experiential education (i.e., field experience), which is considered one of the most important and powerful components of teacher education programs [24]. Field experiences provide teacher candidates an understanding of the values, cultures, and styles of learning and school communities and are typically composed of student teaching, practicum experiences, community service, and service learning [4]. In most traditional teacher education programs, the field-based experiences are designed to socialize prospective teachers into the school setting [8]. Field experiences range from brief, observation-based practicums to extensive, in-depth internships that require additional practice of pedagogical knowledge under supervision of an experienced teacher. The most common field experience is student teaching, which traditionally includes observation and practiced application of instruction as a part of a semester-long course [21]. The prospective teacher has opportunities to implement instructional strategies, engage students in discourse, and “practice” instructional styles during the field-based experiences, they are under the direction and supervision of their cooperating teacher. The prospective teacher engages in an apprenticeship model where the main beneficiary of this experience is the prospective teacher
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