The majority of children in mainstream (no fee, poorly resourced, African language dominant) public schools in South Africa fall significantly behind curricular norms in mathematics by Grade 3; the early learning gap grows across time. The provision of "quality" instructional materials is a well-recognised component of effective…

Background: South African learners face the double disadvantage of living in low socioeconomic conditions with access to few resources and attending schools with challenging learning conditions. Mathematics performance reflects such conditions with extreme performance gaps between wealthier and poorer learners. The need for early intervention is…

This paper is centred around a framework for studying teaching--Mediating Primary Mathematics (MPM)--developed in the context of the teaching of Whole Number Arithmetic (WNA) in South Africa. Findings from the analysis of four WNA lessons are used to illustrate how the application of the MPM framework can measure nuanced differences in the…

This article contributes to the discussion on mathematics teacher reflection. Reflection was included in a study of the didactisation practices of primary school mathematics teachers as one of nine didactisation practices. The study involved five volunteer primary school mathematics teachers. A qualitative design-research approach was designed…

This article is part of a larger study on teacher development. The main study investigated teacher development within primary school Mathematics teachers' classrooms to determine if teaching practices could be enhanced through a didactisation-based programme. It sought to develop teachers within their own environments and classrooms. Design…

The teaching of problem-solving through the development of a problem-solving model was investigated in a Grade 4 mathematics classroom. Learners completed a questionnaire regarding their knowledge of mathematical problem-solving, their attitudes towards problem-solving, as well as their experiences in solving problems. Learners' responses revealed…

This research study, carried out in South Africa and the United States of America, investigated issues that may hamper prospective primary school teachers from writing acceptable problem posing scenarios involving the addition of fractions. Pre-service teachers (n=44) were asked to compose real life problems involving the addition of two fractions…

The theme of the 38th meeting of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME 38) and the 36th meeting of the North American Chapter of the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA 36) was "Mathematics Education at the Edge." Academically, the theme provides opportunities to highlight and examine…

The first volume of the 31st annual proceedings of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education conference presents plenary lectures; research forums; discussion groups; working sessions; short oral communications; and posters from the meeting. Plenary lecture papers include: (1) On Humanistic Mathematics Education: A…

The first volume of the 29th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education contains plenary lecture and research forum papers as listed below. Short oral communications papers, poster presentations, brief summaries of discussion groups, and working sessions are also included in the volume. The plenary…