Chapter 10: The Status Of Saskatchewan Secondary School Mathematics Teachers With Implications For The Teacher Education Programs In Saskatchewan

The main purpose of this study was to ascertain the nature and extent of the professional preparation and in-service education of Saskatchewan secondary school mathematics teachers and to explore their perceptions as well as that of the school administrators toward teacher education programs in Saskatchewan. Based on the results of the survey, a profile of a typical secondary school teacher in Saskatchewan was determined. On the whole the mathematical preparation of a prospective secondary school graduate was considered fairly adequate but there was a general dissatisfaction expressed with the professionalized aspect of his teacher preparation. The administrators would like to see the secondary school mathematics teachers more as a generalist than as a specialist with wide background in two or more teaching areas. The teachers essentially disagreed with this view; educators in general expressed a need for more in-service facilities on a regular and continuous basis.