Prospective teachers' awareness of young children's stochastic activities.

The present research focuses on prospective teachers' planning, teaching and reflection on young children's (4 to 6 year-old) stochastic activities. The research also concentrates on the way in which prospective teachers view the activity in terms of the mathematical challenge it offers and the development of children's stochastic ideas (Potari & Jaworski, 2002). The methodology of this research is based on the qualitative approach. The researchers analysed twenty-three prospective teachers' lesson plans and actual teaching, interviewed them after their lessons and finally analysed their self-assessment reports. An initial analysis of the data shows that prospective teachers appreciated the importance of using tools in their classrooms for teachings stochastics. However, from our classroom observations we identified that the activity was often mathematically trivialized and the children's involvement was limited. The discussion and self-assessment that took place after the lessons indicated the different degree of prospective teachers' awareness of pedagogical and mathematical issues.