Special tutorials both online and off-line were experimented in order to provide extra support for the senior pre-service mathematics teachers at an Australian regional university to improve their learning experience and achieve the best possible learning outcomes in an advanced mathematics course focusing on solving ordinary differential…

This paper investigates the expectations that a group of preservice secondary mathematics teachers had for how students would approach four particular algebra problems. Their responses to a set of open-ended items were content analysed. Findings show that the teachers ranged in the expectations that they held for their students. Some teachers…

Secondary mathematics pre-service teachers often have different experiences of mathematics and its teaching and learning during their initial teacher education. This paper documents the beliefs about mathematics, its teaching, and its learning, of mathematicians and mathematics educators who teach secondary mathematics pre-service teachers. The…

Solution representations can reveal how problem solvers communicate mathematical thinking and reasoning in problem-solving process. The present study examined the solution representations used by 20 pre-service teachers for the percentage change problems. The pre-service teachers were invited to solve a combination of simple and complex percentage…

Australian science teachers are asked to involve their students in the scientific processes of inquiry and investigation. The abilities needed for scientific problem-solving ("doing") and the capacity to reflect on the process of problem-solving at a meta level ("understanding") are defined as scientific reasoning competencies…

The use of multiuser virtual environments for educational purposes is in its infancy but offers potential for exploration of spatial contexts that could not otherwise be experienced. We report on pre-service teachers' experiences in designing learning activities as a result of immersion in the CAVE2™, a 320-degree, cylindrical 3D virtual…

There is an acknowledged gap between the theory presented in university preparation programmes and the reality of classroom practice that has resulted in many secondary mathematics pre-service teachers failing to implement university-endorsed teaching strategies. Using responses to a questionnaire and interviews, this qualitative study examined…

This paper reports the results of an investigation into the ways pre-service teachers engaged in structured problem solving as part of their first-year mathematics education course. The purpose of this study was to determine the preferred problem solving strategies of pre-service teachers and the types of difficulties they experienced. The written…

Male teachers are a minority in both primary teacher training courses and in primary schools around the world. Education research has identified numerous gender-related challenges faced by male primary teachers during their initial teacher training and later when teaching in schools. Despite noting that many males leave teacher training because of…

Research in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) education suggests development of STEM competency requires effective learning environments, including the use of varied representations (e.g., visual, symbolic) and opportunities for students to make connections among them. Although such practices have been advocated in the teaching…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and delivery of a lesson study unit in mathematics to pre-service primary teachers and to identify the opportunities and challenges resulting from the need to deliver the unit wholly online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Cross-case analysis, using a…

Many primary pre-service teachers (PSTs) who are enthused by tertiary courses that espouse and model a socio-constructivist approach to teaching mathematics, revert to a traditional approach when they encounter mathematics teaching during professional experience. An intervention was designed to translate the initial pedagogical intent of four…

The last Australian government review on rural education reveals that staffing schools continues to be a challenge. To examine this problem, the paper draws on data from semi-structured interviews with pre-service teachers undertaking rural school placement. The aim is to address rural school staffing through a bi-dimensional social justice…

The main focus here is to examine the benefits of defining and developing an engineering curriculum for elementary schools. Like many other international educational systems, Australian educational settings have been seeking to effectively implement science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. However, current assumptions…

Mathematics needs to take on a real-world quality, and students need to be able to identify and connect the value of what they are learning within the classroom to life outside the classroom. Creating a connection between the mathematics learned within a classroom and its value to life in the outside world is critical to effectively engage…