Developing pedagogical content knowledge in initial teacher education: Lesson study and peer assisted tutoring

Learning to teach is a long-term and complex enterprise (Morris, Hiebert, & Spitzer, 2009). In their commentary on initial teacher education (ITE), Hiebert, Morris, and Glass (2003) suggest that programmes are more valuable when they support pre-service teachers to acquire the tools they will need to learn to teach, rather than focus on achieving complete and polished competencies of high-quality teaching. Peer-assisted tutoring and lesson study are models which can build pre-service teachers’ awareness of the knowledge and skills required to teach, while also providing them with tools to continue their path as life-long learners (Amador & Carter, 2018). In this paper, we will discuss the incorporation of these two models, conducted in tandem during one semester, in the third year of a concurrent, undergraduate ITE programme in Science and Mathematics. Seven pre-service teachers volunteered to participate in this research and qualitative data, generated through planning documents and weekly reflections, was analysed utilizing the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching framework (Ball, Thames, & Phelps, 2008). Findings suggest that due to their participation in peer-assisted tutoring and lesson study, these pre-service teachers developed important skills in noticing and reflection as part of their repertoire of learning to learn to teach. Furthermore, findings suggest a development of their knowledge of content and teaching (KCT) and knowledge of content and students (KCS) over the course of the semester. This research may provide useful insight for ITE providers and teacher educators.