Maths research to develop new ambitious teaching practises

Making mathematics more interactive is the focus of a new research project by the Centre of Excellence for Research in Mathematics Education.

The centre has received a $450,600 Teaching and Learning Research Initiative grant from the New Zealand Council of Education Research – recognising the leadership role the centre plays in mathematics education.

The project aims to improve mathematics teaching methods to increase the number of students who engage with mathematics – and move away from the “good at maths/bad at maths” paradigm. It also puts the spotlight on the pedagogical principles of educating mathematics teachers.

Professor Glenda Anthony and Dr Roberta Hunter are leading the project, along with Dr Peter Rawlins and Jodie Hunter, from the College of Education, in collaboration with Dr Robin Averill, Dr Michael Drake and Roger Harvey of Victoria University of Wellington.

Building on teacher education reforms Professor Anthony saw during her Fulbright study in the US, the research project will develop “instructional activities” assisting teachers to engage more effectively in the inquiry-based learning model. Student teachers will rehearse these activities as part of their teacher training so they have experience before they reach the classroom.

Professor Anthony says new approaches to mathematics education are required to improve outcomes for students. New teachers must be equipped with skills to engage in effective and ambitious teaching practises. “Ambitious teaching involves teaching diverse students to not only know mathematics but also to be able to make sense of mathematics and use it to solve authentic problems. Teachers must be able to listen, make sense, and respond to students, in an interactive way.

She says as well as teaching student teachers about teaching, we need to teach them the interactive skills required to engage students in authentic mathematical practices. “The instructional activities the student teachers will take part in will help them to develop skills and the disposition to be able to engage students in cognitively demanding tasks, to elicit and respect students’ efforts to make sense of important mathematical ideas, and to notice and respond appropriately to students’ understanding.

“Our aim is that our student teachers develop an inquiring stance and see themselves as learners, who can build on the students’ thinking and orchestrate discussion in the classroom. We know this is good to do but it can be challenging. For some student teachers this new way of thinking about teaching and learning may be very different to their own experiences in the classroom,” Professor Anthony explains.