Abstract
The prevalence of mathematics anxiety and math phobia is an accepted phenomenon in our culture today (Boaler, 2013; Kimball & Smith, 2013). Multiple research studies have been conducted investigating the levels of mathematics anxiety present in both preservice and in-service elementary education teachers (Bekdemir, 2010; Mizala, Martínez, & Martínez, 2015). This article describes how the creation of a learning community within a two-course sequence of mathematics content courses for elementary teachers addressed the fears and anxieties of a cohort of prospective female teachers. The learning community was founded on three perspectives: Palmer’s (1989) community of truth, Paul’s description of the church as a human body in 1 Corinthians 12, and Jolliff’s (2009) reinterpretation of Guthrie’s (1963) lonesome valley experience by a solitary traveler. Themes expressed by the students in their reflections after the second course included greater conceptual understanding, an emphasis on both individual and community learning, reduced anxiety, attention to multiple perspectives, and the ability to learn as both a teacher and a student.
Recommended Citation
Bonner, R. (2017). Building a Community of Christ in a Mathematics Classroom. International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal, 12(2).
Included in
Christianity Commons, Mathematics Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons