ABSTRACT
It Is Time to pull together some of the strands which have been running through the previous chapters. Student teachers on a training course have precious little time to debate philosophical issues because their behaviour is characterised by action — physically moving between institutions, preparing and handing in assignments, teaching classes, marking — but there will have been moments throughout the course when a chance remark from a pupil or a recurring pattern has registered as important. Encouraging students to be reflective and critical is part of the rhetoric of teacher education, of course (Schon, 1983), but whether important shifts in learning actually take place is a moot point. Disappointingly, there is some evidence (Haggarty, 1995: 120) that general beliefs about teaching and the nature of mathematics which student teachers bring to the course remain resistant to change despite substantial tutor input. This may be due to recent changes in courses and an over-emphasis upon practical experience, the difficulties which new mentors have in tackling this part of the training programme, or the fact that student teachers are so preoccupied with surviving, keeping classes under control, and being seen to be competent that other considerations pale into insignificance.
