Pre-service teachers' reflections on task design and implementation

In this paper, we will present a part of findings of a larger study in which we investigated both pre-service teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and middle school students' mathematical skills. A total of 17 pre-service teachers worked with 7th grade students on the mathematical tasks for a semester. The data was collected through inventories, videos of task implementations and written reflections. The analysis of inventories and written reflections revealed that the pre-service teachers had positive beliefs about using mathematical tasks in the lessons. They were able to evaluate the success or failure of a task by analyzing the implementation process. They recognized the importance of preparing appropriate tasks for students and implemented them as intended. They also noted that mathematical tasks provided them an opportunity to learn about students' mathematical understanding as well as to develop their scaffolding practices.