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Drawing on data from the Republic of Cyprus, this paper uncovers elementary teachers' epistemological beliefs about mathematics. Twenty-two experienced teachers were invited to individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic data-driven analyses identified three themes and eight sub-themes, which I discuss, taking their socio-cultural context into consideration. This study suggests that applying predetermined frameworks directly taken from the literature when examining teachers’ epistemological beliefs in mathematics can be problematic, as they might hinder other culturally specific beliefs from emerging. In closing, this paper presents some implications for the results on teacher education and professional development, as well as ideas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the relationship among elementary teachers’ practices aiming at teaching thinking skills and their self-efficacy towards teaching thinking skills, teaching styles. The sample group consisted of 1003 classroom teachers. For collecting data, three different scales were administered. The fist scale was Teachers’ Classroom Practices for Teaching Thinking Scale, the second one was Teaching Thinking Skills Scale and the last one was Grasha’s Teaching Style Scale. Correlation and causal research designs were used to define the relationship among these variables. In the research, it was found that Facilitator teaching style followed by Self-efficacy. It was also seen that the predictor variable was Facilitator teaching style and the other styles had no effect on the model. Facilitator and delegator teaching styles had an effect on the model, but when self-efficacy was added on the model, it was seen that Delegator teaching style had no effect on the model. The results showed that self-efficacy was a meaningful variable on teachers’ teaching thinking practices. Moreover, teaching style was also a meaningful predictor. Facilitating model was more meaningful one than delegator, expert, authority and personal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recent calls for teachers to promote and increase students’ communication and discussion in their classrooms, prospective teachers have limited opportunities to explore issues of classroom talk during their teacher preparation programs. In this study, prospective teachers attending a mathematics methods course were encouraged to attend to and investigate their developing teacherly talk through a letter writing exchange with school students. This paper reports on their tendency to respond to the correct answers with praise and to supply the answers when students reached an incorrect result. It explores the ways in which they began to interrogate and problematize such practices and to consider alternative forms of teacher responses to students’ right and wrong answers. Features of the course''s field-related experience and the teacher educators’ interventions that promoted and supported the preservice teachers’ investigations are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recommendations for professional development call for an alternative structure known as teacher inquiry groups. However, little is known about the contents of these structures. This article reports on a year-long study of one teacher inquiry group. It describes four key activities that served as objects of inquiry. Specifically, this paper explores this question: Do certain activities generate, more than others, the kind of inquiry that places the teachers on a trajectory for reconsidering their beliefs and practices? In contrast to other activities in this study, assessing student work generated debates that enriched the teachers’ thinking about what constitutes mathematical understanding. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]