Mathematics-for-Teachers (and Students)

What mathematics do elementary teachers need and how might such mathematics be provided in a teacher education program? In this paper we discuss the development of a mathematics-for-teachers component for our elementary (K-8) preservice education program. Our mathematics-for-teachers program has evolved from an elective course for 20 preservice teachers, to 440 preservice teachers working in small groups in an auditorium setting, to a fully online component. The mathematics-for-teachers component immerses preservice teachers in mathematics experiences that many of them have never had, namely, experiences where they attend deeply to mathematical relationships and have opportunities to sense the pleasure of mathematical insight. As such, our primary goal is experiential therapy (authors, 2005) rather than content knowledge.