Enhancing mathematics (STEM) teacher education in regional Australia: pedagogical interactions and affect

This article reports on initial findings, including the mathematics components, of a multiinstitutional Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) project, It’s part of my life: Engaging university and community to enhance science and mathematics education. This project is focussed on improving the scientific and mathematical thinking of pre-service teachers (PSTs) by aligning their pedagogy with the scientific and mathematical thinking that occurs in authentic, real-world contexts. This article discusses emotional literacy and emotional regulation as aspects of self-reflective professional development and how these measures are conceptually related to improving competence and confidence for pre-service STEM teachers. This report details how emotional feedback was used in trials of a pilot program to enable PSTs to analyse, understand, and make use of emotional information to improve their teaching confidence, particularly in mathematics.