A study of good practices in transdisciplinary collaboration for supervising pre-service mathematics teachers during teaching practicum

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate good practices emerging from the use of transdisciplinary collaboration in supervising pre-service mathematics teachers during their teaching practicum. The supervision was conducted through Lesson Study and a professional learning community (PLC). The participants included two university supervisors, three mentor teachers, three pre-service teachers, four researchers, two research assistants, and 120 elementary students from Grades 2 to 4. Data were collected through meeting records, classroom observations, video recordings, and interviews, and analyzed using content analysis. The findings revealed four key areas of good practice: (1) selecting members and establishing shared understanding within the PLC; (2) implementing collaborative supervision processes; (3) developing pre-service teachers' understanding of subject content and instructional design; and (4) enhancing student learning outcomes. The transdisciplinary collaborative approach significantly contributed to the development of teaching competencies among pre-service teachers, including both subject-specific skills in mathematics instruction and broader professional competencies. Moreover, it fostered improvements in students' conceptual understanding, sense of weight measurement, and mathematics achievement.