| Summary: | This research explores the identities of Mathematics Teacher Educators and Researchers via a framework of five lenses - becoming, doing, knowing, being and belonging, proposed by Davey (2013). The framework is used throughout the research, firstly to conduct a systematic review of the research into mathematics teacher educator-researchers covering the past ten years. This reveals a diversity of research examined through each lens, much of it done by the teacher educators themselves, reflecting on their own practice. It also reveals the gaps in our knowledge about UK professionals.
Davey’s framework supported the creation of an online survey of 144 professionals at different stages of their career, together with follow-up interviews with 27 respondents involved in the Primary phase of mathematics teacher education.
This research concludes that, in the UK at least, there is a well-qualified, committed and highly experienced workforce of professionals, often recruited with identities as established teachers of mathematics, but becoming teacher educators over a period of years, often trying to balance conflicting demands of the role. Their professional identity rests on core beliefs and values: that they can “make a difference” to the mathematics education of pupils by educating future generations of teachers, and also by being part of communities, with colleagues from schools, universities, associations, other educators and researchers. For a substantial number of these professionals, the identity formation of mathematics teacher educator researcher is a career-long journey.
|
|---|