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Abstract

The majority of teacher candidates are eager to enter the field of teaching for their junior participation to try out methods such as Problem Solving Approach that they have been learning throughout their classes at college. In mathematics, for example, semester after semester, I place an emphasis on the use of Problem Solving Approach which is natural to children because the world is new to them. Children exhibit curiosity, intelligence, and flexibility as they face new situations (Principles and standards for school mathematics, 2000). In science, the inquiry method is emphasized. The challenge for preservice teachers is to build on children’s innate problem-solving inclinations and preserve and encourage a disposition that values problem solving. Teacher candidates are encouraged to motivate children to think critically and provide them with opportunities to create, explain, and analyze their procedures. However, different learning environments can either facilitate or impede the implementation of these new strategies. One problem is that of effectively matching teacher candidates with mentoring teachers. In this article I examine the effects of mismatching preservice Teachers with mentoring teachers by describing the experiences of four preservice teachers as they attempted to integrate new learnings.

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