Cultural Competencies and Planning for Teaching Mathematics: Preservice Teachers Responding to Expectations, Opportunities, and Resources

Abstract

In this article, the authors report on a small-scale study set in a context of a first-year mathematics education course for preservice primary teachers. Professional documentation from three different sources were analysed in relation to the national document TÄtaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of MÄori Learners, which was used as a key course resource in a year-one mathematics education course for preservice teachers. The authors found evidence that the pre-service teachers used the resource to identify important learning and teaching practices, and as a source of language and examples. A further tentative finding was how relational aspects of teaching mathematics were adopted as indicators of culturally connected practice