This article explores effective mathematics teaching as constructed in Finnishand Swedish teacher educators’ discourses. Based on interview data from teacher educatorsas well as data from feedback discussions between teacher educators and prospectiveteachers in Sweden and Finland, the analysis shows that several aspects of the recentinternational reform movements are visible in the discourses in both countries. However,the Swedish teacher educators tend to conceptualize effective teaching as interactions withindividual children, building on students’ ideas and emanating mathematics from everydaysituations, while the Finnish teacher educators stress the importance of a clear presentationof mathematics, routines and homework as well as specific goals for every lesson. Theresults of this cross-cultural study cannot be generalized to the two countries but rathershow interesting conceptualizations of effective teaching, adding to international theorybuilding.