This paper reports on a mathematics intervention initiative, "Prepare 2 Learn," designed taking into account research literature and elements of other successful programs. The program was intended to prepare students for their upcoming mainstream mathematics lessons as well as make them aware of the impact they can have on their own…

This paper presents findings as part of a wider study that investigated the professional knowledge of teachers when teaching mathematics for numeracy in the primary school classroom. This paper focuses on teachers in action as they taught two lessons on multiplication. It outlines the specific pedagogical categories the teachers used and the…

This paper describes part of a mixed-methods study comparing the effectiveness of an individual, conceptual instruction based, tuition program delivered face-to-face and by personal videoconferencing (PVC) for 30 upper primary and middle school students with mathematical learning difficulties (MLDs). The experimental intervention targeted number…

Declining participation rates in advanced mathematics courses and STEM-related occupations has been an issue in Australia for some time, particularly for females. As students continue to disengage with mathematics and complain about its usefulness, it is important to explore what we can do to stem the tide of departing students. One area worthy of…

This paper reports further findings from a study on categorisation of typical problems in the learning of ratio originally presented at the 2011 conference. The paper focuses specifically on the seven categories identified; examines strategies used by two classes of Primary 6 students to solve problems, and presents data in the form of student…

The number of ethnic Chinese students in schools across Australian cities is small but increasing. It is important to understand how these students socialise into the Australian (mathematics) education system, so that we can better facilitate their education experiences in ways which optimise their potential to learn. This paper reports on part of…

Pre-service primary (elementary) teachers' mathematics anxiety affects their engagement with and future teaching of mathematics. The study measured the range of mathematics anxiety in 219 pre-service teachers starting a teacher education course in an Australian university. They responded to the Revised Mathematics Anxiety Scale (RMARS) and a set…

In this study we take up the issue of teacher knowledge by characterising the quality of one teacher's Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (Ball, Thames and Phelps, 2008) by examining her Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) that was accessed during a Lesson Study observation in a Chinese primary school. Results show that the participant's PCK was…

The phenomenon of the "middle-years dip" in mathematics engagement and achievement has been a cause of concern for over a decade. This paper presents an example of one upper-primary classroom identified as having higher than average levels of student engagement, with the purpose of documenting specific teaching strategies that align with…

This paper examines how mathematical understandings might emerge through student-centred inquiry. Data is drawn from a research project on student-centred curriculum integration (CI) that situated mathematics within authentic problem-solving contexts and involved students in collaboratively constructed curriculum. Participatory action research…