Chapter 16: Prospective Teachers Analyzing Transcripts of Teaching

The main goal of teacher education is to prepare prospective teachers (PTs) for the complex work of teaching. Past approaches to teacher education have attempted to produce expert teachers upon graduation from a teacher education program. Current research on teacher education, however, suggests a different approach. Learning to teach mathematics well is a challenging and dynamic process that should not end with the completion of a teacher preparation program (Ball & Forzani, 2011; Morris, 2006). Morris (2006) claims that it is unrealistic to expect that PTs will be expert teachers at the completion of a teacher education program. Rather, she suggests that it is important for PTs to develop skills that allow them to learn from their teaching so they can continue to grow in their professional knowledge.