Preservice Teachers' Beliefs and Experiences in Learning How to Teach Mathematics for Social Justice

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine preservice teachers' beliefs and experiences in learning about teaching mathematics for social justice during a one-semester mathematics methods course at a large university in the Southwest. The study examined their beliefs on three levels: a) their beliefs about issues of equity, diversity, and social justice in general; b) their beliefs about how issues of equity, diversity, and social justice relate to teaching (i.e., if and how the preservice teachers perceive themselves as critical educators); and c) their beliefs about teaching mathematics for social justice. This study also analyzed the preservice teachers' experiences as they learned about and then discussed lessons and projects that could be used for teaching mathematics for social justice. The purpose of analyzing their experiences was to document what the pre-service teachers identified as positive and negative influences on their learning to teach mathematics for social justice.