Using a qualitative case study design and applying a sociocultural theoretical perspective, support for self- and co-regulated learning in an elementary Spanish and English dual-language classroom was documented. The multi-age classroom comprised 33 students acquiring English and Spanish, at school (52% female students; 20 fourth grade and 13…

Background: Within-class consensus on mastery goal structures describes the extent to which students agree in their perceptions of mastery goal structures. Research on (work) teams suggests that higher levels of consensus within a group indicate a well-functioning social environment and are thus positively related to beneficial socio-emotional…

Gender differences between boys and girls in the perception of the classroom setting, and their relationship to achievement in mathematics and aspects of self-regulated learning skills are the focus for this article. Throughout the component analysis of answers from 6758 Swedish students we found some differences in how boys and girls perceive…

On entering Mr. Wilson's seventh-grade classroom, the authors immediately noticed the students talking about mathematics and their teacher listening to them. To create an interactive learning environment that would stimulate and perpetuate discourse, Wilson discussed two main issues with his students: (1) What the students and teacher would do in…

Constructive error handling is considered an important factor for individual learning processes. In a quasi-experimental study with Grades 6 to 9 students, we investigate effects on students' attitudes towards errors as learning opportunities in two conditions: an error-tolerant classroom culture, and the first condition along with additional…

The concept of legitimate peripheral participation was developed by considering informal learning contexts. Its applicability to school classrooms is problematic. This is particularly so when teacher centred and decontextualised procedural practices predominate as they do in "usual school mathematics" classrooms. By considering the nature of…

This paper is about how immigrant bilingual students use their languages in the learning of mathematics. Our research has been with immigrant bilinguals in Catalonia, Spain, who arrived at a young age from South-American countries. We use a critical sociolinguistic approach, which draws on social theory in the analysis of how language is involved…

This applied paper is a report of a naturalistic observation in a mathematics classroom focusing on two second-graders. Following an exploratory visit to understand the setting and develop more specific questions for the study, the purpose of this empirical investigation was to describe the behavior of two children in the particular classroom…

In the mathematics education literature, there is currently a debate about the mechanisms by which group discussion can contribute to mathematical learning and under what conditions this learning is likely to occur. In this paper, we contribute to this debate by illustrating three learning opportunities that group discussions can create. In…

Problem solving lies at the heart of mathematical learning. Children need opportunities to write, discuss, and solve problems on a regular basis. The problems must incorporate grade-appropriate content and be "accessible and engaging to the students, building on what they know and can do." Teachers also play a key role in establishing a classroom…

Can a rich problem-solving task challenge a diverse range of students? How would students across various grade levels, from elementary school to secondary school, respond to the same task? These were the questions five different teachers in different schools wanted to explore in their respective classes, ranging from first grade through ninth…

Demonstrates how to incorporate collaborative learning into the mathematics curriculum. The method is based on the Academic Mastery Program (AMP) at Occidental College, a program that promotes achievement in mathematics by helping students to organize their lives around their academic interests. Describes in detail the format of the weekly two-…

Considers the results of a study supported by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) that focuses on the impact of different environments on students' abilities to learn calculus. (DDR)

Describes a study that explores the relationship between classroom factors and students' beliefs about themselves as learners of mathematics. Identifies classroom factors that might influence students' beliefs. Contains 45 references. (DDR)

This brochure explains a number of aspects of the standards established by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics for mathematics education. The three sets of standards are: (1) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards; (2) Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics; and (3) Assessment Standards for School Mathematics. Contained in the…