What is Mathematics Autobiography

This qualitative study critically examines elementary preservice teachers' (PSTs) mathematics histories, predominantly negative relationships with mathematics, to see them through a more positive lens and the impact on their teaching futures. Data from 75 PSTs' mathematics autobiographies across three teacher education programs in the Northeast United States over a 10-year period reveal that prior teachers are the primary influence on the PSTs' mathematics identities. This chapter showcases specific teacher and their classroom characteristics which shaped these identities. Themes that are explored in this chapter include connections with the teacher, learning environment, understanding the purposes of mathematics, use of manipulatives and hands-on learning, mathematics and gender roles, and timed assessments. Implications for mathematics methods courses, teacher effectiveness and professional development, and research on autobiographical inquiry are discussed.