“Mathematicians Would Say It This Way”: An Investigation of Teachers' Framings of Mathematicians

Although popular media often provides negative images of mathematicians, we contend that mathematics classroom practices can also contribute to students' images of mathematicians. In this study, we examined eight mathematics teachers' framings of mathematicians in their classrooms. Here, we analyze classroom observations to explore some of the characteristics of the teachers' framings of mathematicians in their classrooms. The findings suggest that there may be a relationship between a teachers' mathematics background and his/her references to mathematicians. We also argue that teachers need to be reflective about how they represent mathematicians to their students, and that preservice teachers should explore their beliefs about what mathematicians actually do.