Supporting more coherent and connected mental mathematics teaching

Abstract In this paper, we detail the outcomes of work in initial teacher education (ITE) that sought to support moves into coherent and connected early mental mathematics teaching in South Africa. Our aims in the paper are twofold. First, in revisiting an earlier framework (the Mediating Primary Mathematics framework), we elaborate a theoretically oriented and empirically sensitive continuum of teaching quality that moves from incoherence to coherence to connection to generality. Second, we present an analysis of the instruction of a cross-attainment sample of nine pre-service teachers from the ITE cohort at one university that indicates very few instances of the incoherence identified in earlier research, and substantial evidence of episodes that are, not only coherent, but also connected. The findings suggest that a combination of good quality structured teaching materials and course mediation of these materials can contribute to supporting good quality mental mathematics instruction.