This study describes preservice teachers' beliefs about teaching mathematics for social justice (TMSJ) after experiencing a two-part professional development (PD) workshop on the subject. The research question is: To what degree does a PD experience, designed by a preservice teacher, influence preservice teachers' beliefs about TMSJ? The lead…

With increased study of teachers' beliefs about science and mathematics teaching in recent years, there is a need for instruments that assess beliefs in both content areas. Moreover, early field experiences in schools and professional development efforts may influence the beliefs that preservice and in-service teachers develop, and instruments for…

This study investigated the impact of incorporating problem posing in elementary classrooms on the beliefs held by elementary teachers about mathematics and mathematics teaching. Teachers participated in a year-long staff development project aimed at facilitating the incorporation of problem posing into their classrooms. Beliefs were examined via…

This study replicates Collier's (1972) work. It focuses on the beliefs of a large sample of elementary education students at four stages of teacher preparation, about both the nature of and the teaching of mathematics. The instrument measures what Collier termed a "formal-informal" dimension of belief. The data suggest that initially the…

This paper communicates the impact of prospective teachers' learning of mathematics using novel curriculum materials in an innovative classroom setting. Two sections of a mathematics content course for prospective elementary teachers used different text materials and instructional approaches. The primary mathematical authorities were the…

Because of the role beliefs play in the teaching and learning of mathematics, mathematics educators need to consider ways to assess beliefs and belief change. Beliefs, because they must be inferred, can be difficult to measure, particularly with a common metric that enables a comparison of individuals. Because of the limitations of Likert scales,…

Results from an earlier study (Hart, 2002) suggested that a group of 14 teachers participating in an alternative preparation program for elementary teachers had developed beliefs that were consistent with current thinking in mathematics education. The current study follows 8 of those teachers into their first year of teaching in an urban…

This study investigated and evaluated the potential impact of an elementary mathematics methods course in promoting teacher beliefs and attitudes that are consistent with the underlying philosophy of current reform efforts in mathematics education. Using the Mathematics Beliefs Instrument (MBI," Hart, 2002), data from 89 preservice teachers were…

Many K-8 preservice teachers have not experienced learning mathematics in a standards-based classroom. This article describes a mathematics content course designed to provide preservice teachers experiences in learning mathematics that will help build a solid foundation for a standards-based methods course. The content course focuses on developing…

To meet the challenge to reform mathematics education, effective opportunities to learn are needed to promote prospective elementary school teachers' development of the knowledge base that supports teaching, for mathematical proficiency. This article describes three professional development interventions and their influence on prospective…