Significance of creativity and its development in mathematics classes for preservice teachers who are not trained to develop students’ creativity

This research investigates the significance that the development of creativity in mathematics classes has for the preservice teachers from a master’s program in secondary school teaching, who are not trained on how to develop creativity. In the master’s final projects, preservice teachers reflect on their teaching practice at school and propose changes to improve it. In their reflection, some preservice teachers mention creativity and its enhancement. We did a document analysis and classified the comments about creativity from 198 master’s final projects focusing on the question: Which aspects of the teaching and learning process are related to creativity? Categories are based on didactic suitability criteria, the tool that participants use to analyze their teaching practice. Preservice teachers relate creativity and its development to several elements of the teaching and learning process. Most of the comments are associated with tasks where students can develop mathematical processes (argumentation, problem posing, modeling). They also identify the use of technology or manipulatives and the cooperative work as factors that could foster students’ creativity. We conclude that a significant number of preservice teachers assume that students’ creativity can be developed at school, particularly in mathematics classes. For them, creativity indirectly stems from the work on other aspects that are actually implemented in the classes.