Capturing and measuring instructional patterns by using standardized observation manuals has become increasingly popular in classroom research. While researchers argue that a common vocabulary of teaching is necessary for the field of classroom research to move forward, instructional features vary across classrooms and contexts, which poses…

One way to reduce the cognitive load students feel during instruction is to change the way content is delivered. This can be achieved by optimising the instructional sequence and providing sufficient instructional support during problem-solving. However, the literature is unclear regarding whether an inductive or a deductive instructional sequence…

In the context of a professional learning research project we investigated the nature of support offered to classroom teachers and school mathematics leaders to facilitate teachers' implementation of sequences of challenging tasks. End of year questionnaire data were collected from 70 Foundation to Year 2 teachers and ten numeracy leaders who…

It is easy to dismiss the work of "teaching students to apply formula" as a low-order priority and thus trivialises the professional knowledge associated with this practice. Our encounter with an experienced teacher--through the examination of her practices and elaborations--challenges this simplistic assumption. There are layers of…

This paper outlines the rationale for, and some elements of, a particular approach to teaching and learning mathematics in the early years. The researchers worked with two school systems to offer both centrally delivered and school-based teacher professional learning, which included the application of illustrative teaching resources. The project…

This paper presents the second phase of a larger research program with the purpose of exploring the possible consequences of a gap between what is done in the classroom regarding mathematical word problem solving and what research shows to be effective in this particular field of study. Data from the first phase of our study on teachers'…

This study investigated the effectiveness of using a sequence of worked examples as part of the feedback cycle. Worked examples were either presented as full worked examples or partial worked examples (single-step and completion formats). In two experiments, grade 8 students completed a learning phase on a mathematics topic, which was immediately…

This paper discusses the results of an anonymous survey completed by 239 Australian piano teachers in relation to the teaching materials and practices used by teachers with piano students aged 12-17, older beginners. The survey, which is part of a broader study investigating constructivism in music education, explores teacher choices and opinions…

Learning from digital media is one of the notable learning environments used outside of school. The effect of using digital technology in education is well known today, as where such tools are used appropriately in lessons, they can make an effective contribution to the teaching and learning of abstract science subjects such as astronomy. The…

STEM education is a pedagogical philosophy which aims to draw the interrelationship between science, technology, engineering and mathematics to solve complex problems in real life situations. In order to use STEM education to foster students' learning, the researchers designed STEM activities for middle school students related to the concept of…

An evaluation of the national curriculum by practitioners suggests that learning materials across school levels still overlap, are irrelevant to student development phases and competencies required, too challenging for students to learn, too broad in terms of topics, and lacking in depth. This evaluation encourages the needs for special studies…

Current educational discourse holds that effective pedagogy requires engagement through active student participation with subject matter relating to them. The lack of testing of lessons in series is recognized as a potential weakness in the evidence base, not least because standard parallel designs cannot capture serial interaction effects (cf.…

Written argumentation is a complex skill to master. It can be assumed that students can transfer oral argumentation skills into a written format. Still, students from disadvantaged backgrounds for whom this task is highly novel require greater scaffolding to formulate persuasive arguments in writing. Therefore, there is a need for developing sound…

This paper reports on a conversation analytic study into the pass-on turns that teachers produce to return the floor to the class following one student's contribution, in the context of whole-class discussions around texts in 4th grade history and geography lessons. These pass-on turns are remarkable, as the teachers take the turn in order to…

The development of novel educational assessment models founded on item response theory (IRT), as well as software tools designed to implement these models, has contributed to the surge in computerized adaptive tests (CATs). The distinguishing characteristic of CATs is that the sequence of items on a test progressively adapts to the performance…