Transforming Practices by Understanding Connections Between New Mathematics Teacher Educators and New K-12 Mathematics Teachers

New K-12 mathematics teachers enter classrooms with “high expectations for themselves and for their students,” where the “early years of teaching are often characterized by a ‘sink-orswim’ or ‘survival’ mentality because we have often failed to provide for careful support and thoughtful development of teaching expertise over time” (Bartell, 2005, p. 3). Similarly, new mathematics teacher educators must learn to navigate the often rocky terrain of their institutions, wherein they seek support for finding ways to strike a balance between teaching, research, and service. As Reys, Cox, Dingman, and Newton (2009) point out “important aspects to be monitored are the challenges that lie ahead for these new Ph.D.s as they begin their careers in higher education” (p. 9). While others (e.g., Golde & Walker, 2006) have looked to these challenges to help understand how doctoral education could provide better preparation for careers in academe, this research project sought to look at the similar challenges faced by two groups of novice teachers (with less than three years of experience): those teaching mathematics education courses at universities and those teaching mathematics in K-12 classrooms. In particular, this research study focused its attention on addressing the research questions: How are the experiences of new mathematics teacher educators similar to those of new K-12 mathematics teachers? In what ways could the knowledge of these similarities help to inform and possibly transform new mathematics teacher educators’ practices in working with preand in-service teachers? To explore these questions, we asked a cohort of new mathematics teacher educators to answer questions related to their new academic positions. This poster will present: 1) the preliminary results of a survey of new mathematics teacher educators, 2) results of a metaanalysis of recent research that explores the experiences and challenges of new K-12 mathematics teachers; 3) a comparison of the two groups’ experiences and challenges; and 4) how this research has the potential to inform and transform our approaches to mathematics teacher education at all levels. References Bartell, C. A. (2005). Cultivating high-quality teaching through induction and mentoring. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Golde, C. M., & Walker, G. E. (2006). Envisioning the future of doctoral education: Preparing stewards of the discipline. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Reys, R., Cox, D., Dingman, S., & Newton, J. (2009). Transitioning to careers in higher education: Reflections from recent Ph.D.s in mathematics education. Notices of the American Mathematical Society, 56(9), 1098-1103. PME-NA 2011 Proceedings