What do teachers need? Math and special education teacher educators’ perceptions of essential teacher knowledge and experience

Special education and mathematics education are becoming increasingly intertwined in inclusive classrooms. However, research and practice in these two fields are not always aligned. We discuss, in the context of extant research on pedagogical theory, concepts of access, and the findings of an exploratory study, how these two education sub-fields view teacher expertise. Teacher educators (from math and special education) were asked to rank the importance of different types of expertise for effectively posing purposeful mathematical questions. The groups differed significantly in their rankings of the importance of knowing individual students and general teaching experience. There were also notable differences between the groups’ rankings of the importance of knowing the needs of students with disabilities and mathematical content knowledge. The possible reasons for this are discussed, along with suggestions for improving professional collaboration.