Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Skills in Planning of Teaching Focused on Mathematical Thinking in School Practice

Abstract

In this study, which was conducted with 20 preservice teachers participated in the instructionfocused on mathematical thinking, it was aimed to determine preservice teachers’ skills in planning of teachingfocusing on mathematical thinking in the school practice. It is a part of teaching practice course in which thepreservice teachers attended one semester after the instruction. In the study, a classroom activity carried out bystudents, that focuses their attention on a specific mathematical thought was defined as a mathematical task andthe preservice teachers were asked to make plans for school practice using mathematical tasks of their choice.The plans made by preservice teachers were analyzed with a scoring rubric for attention to students’ thinking.The rubric is a tool relevant to the theoretical framework of the research. In the analysis, it was observed that theplans made by preservice teachers got high scores in total and according to the dimensions of the rubric whichare mathematical goal, anticipating students’ correct and incorrect thinking, asking questions that are assessingand advancing students’ thinking, discussion that is based on students’ thinking and that is making themathematics clear. Accordingly, it was concluded that the preservice teachers could focus on students'mathematical thinking in their plans made for school practice.