The Mathematical Education of Canadian School Teachers: 1925 - 2025

In this talk, we will discuss the historical evolution of teacher certification and the qualifications to teach mathematics in Canada, focusing on the current educational pathways of future teachers. In particular, we will explore the role that mathematics departments play in the mathematical education of future school teachers, both at the elementary and secondary levels. We aim to understand how mathematics departments can support future teachers in their development of a profound understanding of fundamental school mathematics.

Dr. Vanessa Radzimski is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of the Fraser Valley. She has her Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of British Columbia, where she subsequently earned her PhD in Mathematics Education. In her thesis, she studied the role that advanced mathematical content knowledge plays in the mathematical knowledge for teaching of prospective secondary teachers.   At UFV, Vanessa teaches across the mathematics curriculum, from courses aimed at prospective elementary teachers to upper-year courses in abstract algebra and number theory. She enjoys integrating activities and peer-to-peer engagement in all her courses, believing that students can be some of the best teachers for each other. In her spare time, she enjoys training her agility dogs, Poppy and Azalea.