Tensions in the Borderlands: a Review of Borders in Mathematics Pre-service Teacher Education

There are many kinds of borders in mathematics pre-service teacher education. This book explores borders that occur with curricula, teacher preparation programs, and interactions with society at large. A phenomenon of borders are the spaces closest to the border, called borderlands. It is in these borderlands that there might exist a potential for dissolving, removing, or bridging a border. Activity Systems are used as a way to visualize and interpret each chapter’s topic and issue. Tensions emerge between the various aspects of the Activity System, and these tensions can offer insight into negotiating borderlands and a border. A tension creates permeability across the border, and actions to resolve the tension become possible. The tensions that emerge in this review may provide opportunities for more people to be collaborators than mere bystanders in the work of mathematics pre-service teacher education.