Mathematics Teacher Education in Kenya: A Review of Its Evolution and Development

Concerns have been expressed about the mismatch between the training of mathematics teachers and emerging instructional needs in mathematics. An understanding of the evolution and development of mathematics teacher training programs may provide insight on how to address the current mismatch. This chapter provides a review of mathematics teacher education in Kenya over the first two decades of the twenty-first century with a foundation based on a brief overview of the early sixties to the end of the twentieth century. Over the years, training of mathematics teachers has been influenced by changes in national school curriculum designs. In this chapter we describe mathematics teacher education curriculum changes over time and the events that informed those changes. One of the emerging additions to the teacher education curriculum, described here is the teacher practicum currently being implemented by Kenyatta University. A review of the literature in mathematics teacher education particularly with regard to teacher education pedagogies reveals that this is an under researched area in Kenya. Mathematics teacher educators should be encouraged to research on their own practice to provide insights that can guide policy decisions to address the concerns raised about the quality of mathematics teacher graduates.