Research on learning to teach mathematics reveals that mathematics teaching is a complex process (Lerman, 2000) and classroom teaching and learning is a “multifaceted, extraordinarily complex phenomenon” (O’Connor, 1998, p. 43). Moreover, research reveals that the mathematics reform agenda has had an impact on what happens in the mathematics classroom, however, the impact has been superficial (Kazemi & Stipek, 2001) with teachers often retaining their pre-reform habits and attitudes in regards to mathematics teaching and learning (O’Connor, 1998). This study examined the reform discourse practices that three novice teachers, who had been enrolled in a reform based methods course during their preservice teacher education program, adopted, adapted, or ignored as they attempted to engage students in mathematical conversations. Data sources included interviews, field notes, artifacts, and transcripts of videotaped classroom lessons. The primary research questions guiding this study included: (1) What reform-oriented discourses practices do novice teachers, who participated in a reform-based mathematics methods course adopt? What practices do they adapt? What practices do they ignore as they engage students in mathematics conversations? and (2) What issues and challenges surface as novice teachers begin to enact reform-oriented discourse practices? Results indicated that despite holding beliefs that reflect the basic tenets of mathematics reform, theses novice teachers represent a continuum of practices ranging from traditional to reform. Evidence suggests that adopting the reform-oriented practice of eliciting different solutions was critical in the development of social norms that reflect mathematics reform. Eliciting different solutions served to focus classroom conversations on meaningful student generated explanations and justifications. Moreover, evidence suggests that enacting the practice of eliciting different solutions was instrumental in enacting other reform-orientated practices associated with the development of reform-oriented socialmathematical norms. Lastly, results indicate that the pressures of teaching in an underperforming school, as defined by state standardized high stakes tests, can impact a novice teacher’s ability and willingness to adopt mathematics reform practices.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using video as a method of beginner teacher observation. Additionally, this study investigated whether or not trained observers (raters) could reliably score beginner teacher performance videotapes using a four point holistic scoring scale. It was the goal of this study that the beginner teacher performance videotapes assessed holistically would help to narrow the gap that now exists between teacher evaluation and actual classroom teaching. To this end the researcher collected 24 beginner teacher performance videotapes and had twelve elementary school teachers, the raters, score each videotape utilizing a four point holistic scoring scale that was developed for the purposes of this dissertation. In sum, it appears that videotape performance assessment that utilizes a holistic scoring scale is a viable and cost effective method of teacher evaluation. Lastly, it was learned that camera condition was not a significant factor in terms of obtaining consistent scores on the performance videotapes. However, it remains to be seen if this method helps to narrow the gap between actual classroom teaching and teacher evaluation.