Teachers' Mathematics: Curious Obligations

We explore the nature and consequences of teachers' problem solving through an example of a teacher's mathematical problem solving as it was occasioned by a student's mathematics. This illustration demonstrates the value of an interpretive framework that points to the mathematics of the classroom as a collective. Arising from this exploration is our core assertion, that the mathematics teacher has an obligation to be curious about mathematics. Our research has significant implications for teacher education as it points to the significance of the teacher's mathematics within the classroom collective and the possibilities for the growth of the teachers' understandings within that collective. (Contains 1 endnote and 3 figures.) [This paper is based on data collected in a year-long teaching experiment funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. For complete proceedings, see ED500860.]