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This study investigates relationships between a beginning elementary school teacher's beliefs and mathematics teaching practices. A proposed model of relationships between beliefs and practice provided a conceptual framework for the examination of factors that influence beliefs, practice, and the level of inconsistency between them. Data were gathered over 10 months through audiotaped interviews, observations, document analysis, and a beliefs survey. Analyses included the categorization and comparison of beliefs and practice and the development of a revised model of relationships between beliefs and practice. Findings indicate that this teacher's beliefs and practice were not wholly consistent. Rather, her practice was more closely related to her beliefs about mathematics content than to her beliefs about mathematics pedagogy. Her beliefs about mathematics content were highly influenced by her own experiences as a student and her beliefs about mathematics pedagogy were primarily influenced by her own teaching practice. However, the extent to which her teacher preparation program influenced either her beliefs or practice was limited.

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A Mathematics Department Chair plays many roles within the department and within the university as a whole. Facilitating the development and teaching of mathematics services courses requires working with mathematics faculty as well as members of other departments on campus. In this paper, we discuss many issues related to the Department Chair's role in mathematics service courses such as determining course content needs, placing students in appropriate courses, scheduling classes, assessing service courses, and looking to the future of mathematics services courses. Central to all of these issues is ongoing communication with colleagues in and out of the department.