The authors compare pretend play and executive function both in preschool children with an acquired brain injury and in neurotypical preschool children. They find the ability to produce logical, sequenced pretend play actions and object substitutions in play correlates strongly with executive function ability in both groups, and working memory…

Much recent research and theorizing in the field of reasoning has been concerned with intuitive sensitivity to logical validity, such as the logic-brightness effect, in which logically valid arguments are judged to have a "brighter" typeface than invalid arguments. We propose and test a novel signal competition account of this…

Derek Hurrell shares a number of geometry tasks designed to tease out students' reasoning. Concrete materials are used to initiate discussions and develop a culture of reasoning in the mathematics classroom.

Duncan Symons and Derek Holton discuss the different types of mathematical reasoning and what each of these might look like in the classroom. By suggesting language that can be used to describe the different methods of reasoning, they hope to provide teachers with the tools they need to better recognise and assess student reasoning.

Moral reasoning in values education can promote a democratic way of life. It involves addressing behaviour expectations in responses to violence or bullying. There is increasing interest in how children make moral judgments about social inclusion within diverse cultural settings. Critical research highlights the relationship between epistemic…

Despite mathematical reasoning being necessary for in-depth understanding of mathematical concepts, many teacher experience difficulty in assessing it. Data were collected from 34 primary teachers at 4 Victorian government schools at two post-lesson reflective sessions following lessons with a focus on reasoning. These sessions facilitated…

One pedagogical approach to challenge a persistent misconception is to get students to test a conjecture whereby they are confronted with the misconception. A common misconception about a 'direct linear relationship' between area and perimeter is well-documented. In this study, Year 4-6 students were presented with a conjecture that a rectangle…

Attention to mathematical reasoning in curriculum standards is part of an international trend, but identifying and understanding reasoning continues to challenge teachers. We report on one component of an Australia-wide initiative supporting teachers to implement innovative pedagogies. This paper contains insights from design research that focused…

The development and evaluation of valid assessments of scientific reasoning are an integral part of research in science education. In the present study, we used the linear logistic test model (LLTM) to analyze how item features related to text complexity and the presence of visual representations influence the overall item difficulty of an…

Life's paradoxes present across the varied landscapes we traverse in education and serve as formidable barriers in attempts to secure ethical consistency in practice. The presence of paradox invites educational researchers and practitioners to diligently examine our available choices, particularly when fixed by dominant ways of knowing/being. This…

The concept of symmetry is vital for the study of science and developing spatial and geometric relationships. Yet few studies have been conducted to examine how students learn this concept. This study investigates 757 Year 4 to 10 students' ability to reason about symmetrical relationships. By analysing the semiotic processes through the lens of…

This article explores the approaches used to plan mathematical reasoning tasks by two peer learning teams, one based in regional Victoria and the other in Vancouver, Canada. The results revealed that planning and peer observation support teachers' knowledge of mathematical reasoning and the pedagogy required to promote it.

Mathematical reasoning is foundational to making sense of mathematics. Yet assessing mathematical reasoning can be challenging for teachers. This paper reports on a project where teachers taught two lessons with a specific focus on reasoning and came together with other teachers at their school to attempt to assess the reasoning of their students.…

The teaching and learning that takes place in clinical settings has a significant influence on the practice of future health professionals. This article describes the use of a logic model and case study methodology to evaluate an online and face-to-face video-club, a novel professional development activity designed with the aim of improving…

Doing the right thing at school involves moral reasoning about right and wrong that interplays with a sense of responsibility as children move towards being active citizens. In the current study, we investigated how 124 Australian children's understanding and reasoning about doing the right thing changed over the early years of primary school (age…