Education Commons^™

Despite the recognized importance of mathematical proof in secondary education, there is a limited but growing body of literature indicating how preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) view proof and the teaching of proof. The purpose of this survey research was to investigate how PSMTs in Australia and the United States perceive of proof in the context of secondary mathematics teaching and learning. PSMTs were able to outline various mathematical and pedagogical aspects of proof, including: purposes, characteristics, reasons for teaching, and imposed constraints. In addition, PSMTs attended to differing, though overlapping, features of proof when asked to determine the extent …

This study evaluated pre-service teachers’ (PSMTs) perceptions of their own readiness to teach secondary mathematics. The study was conducted at an Australian university across two campuses, in different states. Specifically, PSMTs’ perceptions of their preparedness were explored in terms of mathematical content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and mathematical knowledge for teaching. Findings indicate that while the majority of participants feel that they have the requisite content knowledge to confidently teach Lower School secondary mathematics, further training is required to develop their content and pedagogical knowledge, especially for upper secondary mathematics.