Researching as a mathematics teacher educator: analysing mathematics teachers’ detailed descriptions of first lessons

International audienceAs a mathematics teacher educator, researching classroom environments and practices has supported me in linking theory and practice so that awarenesses developed support the prospective teachers with whom I work. The research has built a belief that there is not one way to teach mathematics. How do experienced mathematics teachers create the environment in which they teach? What do they consistently do from their first lessons with a group? This paper reports on interviews with effective teachers of mathematics in the UK where they stay with the detail of what happened in recent first lessons with a group new to them to illuminate their decision-making processes as they establish the culture of their classrooms. Energetic statements arising out of the detail, such as “I like to give things a story” can be used to support novice prospective teachers, like with Alf Coles, to find the teacher they can be when faced with not knowing what to do when teaching their first lessons