Universal Journal of Educational Research Vol. 12(3), pp. 57 - 64
DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2024.120302
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Structures, Resources and Tools to Facilitate Mathematics Teaching during Teaching Practice

Chipo Makamure ^*
Department of Teacher Development, Faculty of Education, Zimbabwe Open University, Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT

This study explores the structures, resources and tools that pre-service teachers on teaching practice are subjected to in order to facilitate learning to teach mathematics. The main issue at hand pertains to the perennial challenges that PSTs encounter when attempting to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge acquired in institutions of higher learning and its practical implementation within the classroom setting. The variation between theoretical expectations of teaching and actual practices in the classroom has been a relational lacuna in academic research worldwide. This dissonance between theory and practice in the field could hamper the PSTs' opportunities for academic success during TP. It is therefore necessary to address comprehensively the issue of the resources, tools and structures that can assist in marrying theory and practice in order to enhance mathematics proficiency of PSTs during TP. This was a mixed methods study based on an exploratory sequential design. University supervisors, school-based mathematics mentors and mathematics pre-service teachers participated in the study. All the groups responded to the interview questions whilst PSTs and school-based mentors answered questionnaires over and above the interviews. This study found that PSTs' knowledge for teaching mathematics was stifled by several factors that included improper and insufficient training to equip university and school-based mentors with the necessary mentoring skills. The PSTs hence were mostly left manning the classrooms on their own as relief teachers. However, while PSTs probably needed exemplary models from their mentors throughout the TP period, they sometimes needed to be independent thinkers. The study also found out that a lack of the tools such as ICT and technology augmented the challenges faced by PSTs when teaching mathematics during TP.

KEYWORDS
Mathematics Teaching, Mentors, Pre-service Teachers, Teacher Preparation, Teaching Practice

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Chipo Makamure , "Structures, Resources and Tools to Facilitate Mathematics Teaching during Teaching Practice," Universal Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 57 - 64, 2024. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2024.120302.

(b). APA Format:
Chipo Makamure (2024). Structures, Resources and Tools to Facilitate Mathematics Teaching during Teaching Practice. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 12(3), 57 - 64. DOI: 10.13189/ujer.2024.120302.