A Review of Research on Prospective Teachers’ Learning About Children’s Mathematical Thinking and Cultural Funds of Knowledge

Researchers have studied the preparation of elementary teachers to teach mathematics to students from diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds by focusing either on teachers’ learning about children’s mathematical thinking (CMT) or, less frequently, about children’s cultural funds of knowledge (CFoK) related to mathematics. Despite this important work, elementary teachers continue to be underprepared to teach mathematics effectively in diverse communities. We suggest that one way to address this persistent challenge is to integrate these two lines of work. This review focuses on research related to how prospective teachers (PSTs) learn to connect to CMT and CFoK in mathematics instruction. We use the review to describe elements of a robust theoretical framework of PST learning about CMT and CFoK, and synthesize how the studies reviewed contribute to these different elements.