Prospective elementary teachers' comprehension of mathematics instruction

This article reports on a study that investigated prospective elementary teachers' knowledge and convictions regarding content, pedagogy, and pupil needs as well as on their rationales for the teaching of mathematics. Data collected through journals is qualitatively analysed and interpreted to understand common views on ‘ideal’ mathematics classes. The findings are used as a basis for a broader sociological discussion of the school's role in a changing environment. Participants in this study tend to value mathematics classes mainly in terms of the degree of pupil enjoyment. Consequently, they comprehend the teacher's role as beyond instruction: the teacher as an entertainer. This is discussed by confronting the two conceptions of school as a locus for serious learning, and of school as a ‘playhouse’. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.