Welcome to TEDS-M (2006-2009)!
What is TEDS-M?
TEDS-M 2008 is a comparative study of teacher education with a focus on the preparation of teachers of mathematics at the primary
and lower secondary levels. The study is carried out under the aegis of the International Association for the Evaluation of
Educational Achievement (IEA), a consortium of research institutions in 60 countries. TEDS-M will pay particular attention to the
links between teacher education policies, practices and outcomes. The study will provide participating countries with a valuable
opportunity to conduct research on their own teacher education system and to learn from approaches used in other countries.
Teacher education has become an area of considerable interest among policy makers in many countries over recent years. This
reflects a growing body of research on the central importance of teacher knowledge and skill to quality learning opportunities for
students. It also reflects the need to recruit and prepare a new generation of teachers as large numbers of current teachers
reach retirement age.
TEDS-M will address research questions of central interest to policy makers who want to improve the effectiveness of their teacher
education system, such as:
- What are the characteristics of teacher education programs that prepare future teachers of mathematics effectively?
- What kinds of learning experiences are effective in transforming beliefs of future teachers about teaching and learning mathematics?
- What kinds of school experience are most effective in preparing teachers effectively?
- How can the outcomes of teacher education programs for teachers of mathematics be measured in ways that are reliable and valid?
- Under what conditions can national policies for the regulation or accreditation of teacher education have a positive impact
on the quality of outcomes from teacher education?
- What kinds of policies are proving to be effective in recruiting teachers of mathematics from a diverse range of social
and cultural backgrounds?
The main goal of TEDS-M is to show whether and how much teacher preparation policies, programs, and practices across the world
contribute to the capability to teach mathematics well in primary and lower secondary schools. The TEDS-M project will include:
- Studies of the country context, teacher policies, programs and practices on the national level.
- Studies at the institutional level of curricula and practices of teacher preparation, including
standards and expectations for teacher learning.
- Studies of the impact of teacher preparation on the knowledge, skills and dispositions acquired by future teachers.
Target Population
The target populations of TEDS-M include:
- Education policy makers
- Teacher education institutions in each country
- Educators of future teachers
- Future teachers
To learn more about the study, please download the
TEDS-M Summary (.pdf) .
