An Analysis of the Questions Elementary Education Teacher Candidates Pose to Elicit Mathematical Thinking

ABSTRACT This paper describes the findings of a study that examined the questions elementary education teacher candidates (TCs) posed while facilitating a number talk or a discussion about a word problem with elementary school students. The TCs in this study were undergraduates participating in a practice-based mathematics pedagogy/methods course designed to provide multiple experiences unpacking, planning, and rehearsing pedagogies focused on eliciting students’ mathematical thinking. Recordings of the TCs facilitating a discussion were analyzed using two different frameworks: question types from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Principles to Action and components of eliciting students’ thinking. Findings indicate varied levels of questions across participants, but showed that some TCs were able to pose question types aimed at effectively eliciting students’ mathematical thinking. Implications for future studies include further examination about how to increase TCs’ enactment of effective questions in classrooms after practice-based teacher education activities.