In their daily work teachers are responsible for several complex tasks; might AI be harnessed to support teachers in the challenging work of planning lessons? In this paper we investigate the use of an AI tool, namely ChatGPT, to generate a lesson plan that may be of use to teachers in their planning. A carefully worded prompt, informed by…

Due to the learning paradox, students cannot have real difficulty in understanding a mathematical concept that they have not yet understood. There is a gap between real difficulties, directly experienced by students, and illusionary ones, only observed by researchers. This paper aims to offer a critical reflection on our understanding of the term…

Classroom group characteristics are not only related to student outcomes, but also have an impact on classroom instruction. This study investigates an integrated model that examines the direct or indirect relationships among classroom-level adversity (CLA), instructional clarity, student academic self-concept and achievement in math lessons. Using…

In an era of heightened accountability and expanding educational technology choices, mathematics educators must critically assess the effectiveness of the tools available to them. While deciding on technological tools, it is essential that we not only promote rigor in mathematics but also ensure closing learning gaps and improve students' beliefs…

Students encounter difficulties in solving areas of triangles and quadrilaterals due to a lack of conceptual understanding of the topic. The researchers have developed the following activities and the hypothetical learning trajectory (HLT) through the design research approach focusing on developing activities for students to learn the concepts…

Attending to students' thinking and using it to inform instruction has been shown to be an effective and equitable teaching practice. Research on teachers' noticing of thinking conceptualizes noticing as a cognitive process, while work on noticing for equity treats noticing as culturally situated but primarily focuses on participation. Drawing on…

A theoretical model describing Grade 7 students' rational number sense was formulated and validated empirically (n = 360), hypothesizing that rational number sense is a general construct consisting of three factors: basic rational number sense, arithmetic sense, and flexibility with rational numbers. Data analysis suggested that rational-number…

Metacognition supports students in successfully working through struggle by equipping them with the tools to maintain an awareness of what they are doing and to change directions when needed to overcome obstacles. Thus, it is of little surprise that effective problem solvers spend a significant amount of time analyzing tasks relative to the amount…

Previous research into the teaching and learning of surface area emphasises the use of nets and formulae to calculate the total surface area of three-dimensional objects despite enduring student difficulties. This study investigated an instructional intervention for Year 8 mathematics students (n = 47; 13-14 years old) designed to elicit multiple…

Units coordination, defined by Steffe (1992) as the mental distribution of one composite unit (i.e., a unit of units) "over the elements of another composite unit" (p. 264) is a powerful tool for modeling students' mathematical thinking in the context of whole number and fractional reasoning. This paper proposes extending the idea of a…

Our aim is to contribute to the body of research on learning trajectories (LTs) in mathematics by making visible a process for articulating a hypothetical learning trajectory implicit in a widely adopted, reform-based, middle-grades mathematics curriculum. In doing so, we highlight considerations, decisions, and challenges we faced as part of this…

Using question 28 from the May Problems to Ponder in volume 114, the author and her seventh- and eighth-grade students launched into a discussion of creativity, linearity, piecewise, and recursive definitions of functions. This pattern to ponder provided rich mathematical opportunities for all students in her middle school classroom.

This study used a mixed methods approach to examine student access and achievement differences based on the students' 7th-grade mathematics class placement. Additionally, this study investigated the difference between teachers' perceptions and pedagogical decisions based on their students' placement levels. Finally, this study asked for teacher…

The problem addressed through this study is the inconsistent use of mathematics educational technology tools in middle school mathematics courses in the United States. The problem was important to address because inconsistent use of mathematics educational technology tools may impact student performance. The purpose of this basic qualitative study…

Despite well-designed curriculum materials, teachers often face challenges implementing them due to diverse classroom needs. This paper investigates whether large language models (LLMs) can support middle school math teachers by helping create high-quality curriculum scaffolds, which we define as the adaptations and supplements teachers employ to…