In many schools across the world, students experience mathematical concepts as ideas empty of wisdom and possibility. In this paper the authors analyze a philosophical conversation in which fifth-grade students were caught up in the animacy of the concept of space. Challenging the common view of mathematics as dealing with absolute truths and…

Little is available in mathematics education research about what the teacher can anticipate from the students when applying inquiry-based learning (IBL). Even less is known about how to recognize and exploit on the spot when a mathematical domain, other than the one in focus, is activated in the students' minds. Yet, in tests, in everyday life,…

This study provides the first large-scale quantitative exploration of mathematical language use in upper elementary U.S. classrooms. Our approach employs natural language processing techniques to describe variation in teachers' and students' use of mathematical language in 1,657 fourth and fifth grade lessons in 317 classrooms in four districts…

The purpose of this research project was to investigate the effect of the Think Through Math (TTM) online tutorial on student achievement in mathematics and student self-perception in mathematics ability. The treatment group consisted of 140 fifth grade students who received general instruction and daily access to TTM. The control group consisted…

This study explores peer feedback in a combined fifth and sixth-grade classroom. Drawing on Hattie and Timperley's (2007) model for feedback, we analyzed 334 peer feedback comments gathered during six mathematics lessons. Our analysis revealed evidence of peer feedback being beneficial to the students who provide it as well as those who receive…

This study tested a novel approach to capitalizing on the benefits of play for informal math learning. Two experiments evaluated a platform called "Fraction Ball," that provides an embodied, playful, and physically active learning experience by modifying the lines on a basketball court to support rational number learning. In the Pilot…

Big Ideas in school mathematics can be seen as overarching concepts that occur in various mathematical topics in a syllabus. For teachers, this knowledge can be used to help students develop a better understanding of mathematics by making visible the central ideas, and connection across topics and across levels. For students, this knowledge can…

In this paper, we aim to untangle positioning theory (Davies & Harré, 1990) and its implications for the field of mathematics education research, considering both existing use and potential use. Specific theoretical assumptions of positions or positionings in the context of learning mathematics are outlined. In this paper, a classroom-based…

This study provides the first large-scale quantitative exploration of mathematical language use in U.S. classrooms. Our approach employs natural language processing techniques to describe variation in the use of mathematical language in 1,657 fourth and fifth grade lessons by teachers and students in 317 classrooms in four districts over three…

This study explores the dynamics of accountability and responsibility among mathematics educators as they integrate Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into their teaching practices. Utilizing a hermeneutic transcendental approach, the research examines the lived experiences of teachers, their challenges, and the strategies they employ to balance…

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an unprecedented reliance on digital technologies in education, regardless of the pre-existing attitude of teachers. This study explores elementary school teachers' perceptions about teaching mathematics through distance education. Using a quantitative approach, an online questionnaire was administered to…

In the United States, school curricula are often created and taught with distinct boundaries between disciplines. This division between curricular areas may serve as a hindrance to students' long-term learning and their ability to generalize. In contrast, cross-curricular pedagogy provides a way for students to think beyond the classroom walls and…

The poor level of engagement in learning mathematics is primarily caused by ineffective methods of instruction. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how context-based problem-posing and solving instructional approaches influence students' engagement in learning data handling using a concurrent embedded quasi-experimental…

Zearn Math is a popular software platform for K-8 mathematics learning, designed to enable all students to successfully access grade-level content. RAND researchers collaborated with Zearn, the product's developer, to design this evaluation. Then RAND conducted the study independently, randomly assigning 64 schools in an urban Texas district to…

The purpose of this quantitative, comparative study was to assess the effects of the type of instructional model (self-contained vs. departmentalized) and student gender on fifth-grade students' academic achievement in mathematics and science in the Monroe City School District in northeastern Louisiana. All students were African American. Students…