The teaching and learning of mathematics in sub-Saharan African countries is dominated by teacher-centred pedagogies rather than student-centred ones. Observations of mathematics teachers at two private schools in South Sudan confirmed such practices. This inspired the researchers to design an intervention to help six primary mathematics teachers…

This study examines how joint exploration is established and maintained among students and the teacher in secondary mathematics classrooms. We use the theoretical perspective of positioning to conceptualize joint exploration as involving the negotiation and coordination among participants to position students with epistemic agency and authority.…

The present study investigates the features of teacher-children interaction during whole-class activities within an early childhood community, in which children's active participation is supported. The theoretical basis of the study is shaped by sociocultural approaches, which consider learning as a process of social co-construction of meanings,…

Within the social nature of teaching and learning mathematics, language can be viewed as the principal resource for making meaning in the classroom. However, research has shown that facilitating classroom discourse can be a key challenge for prospective teachers. In response to this concern, my dissertation offers case studies of three secondary…

Recent mathematics education reform calls for efforts to create collaborative and student-centered environments, where students have opportunities to reason and construct their understanding as part of a community of learners. Mathematics instruction should provide students opportunities to engage in mathematical inquiry and meaning making through…

The work in the Comenius Network project Developing Quality in Mathematics Education II (DQME II) has a main focus on development and evaluation of modelling tasks. One reason is the gap between what mathematical modelling is and what is taught in mathematical classrooms. This article deals with one modelling task and focuses on how two teachers…

Contradictory evidence has been reported on the effects of discovery learning approach and the role of instructional explanations. By manipulating the presence of instruction (verbal explanation) and transparency of problem structures, we investigated how effects of instructional explanations differed depending on the transparency of problem…

Teachers often have difficulty responding to emotionally upset children in ways that help the students solve their problems. Examples of commonly used "put-downs and put-offs" and suggested techniques that teachers can use to lend emotional support are offered. (DF)

Scapegoating in the classroom is a destructive problem that disrupts the social life of the class. Suggestions are offered in the form of a fable to help both the outcast and those who victimize. (DF)

Teachers can help students build a disposition to use connections in solving mathematical problems, rather than mathematics as a set of disconnected, isolated concepts and skills. One activity that addresses the criteria that involve problem solving, reasoning, communication, and representation that together create a vision that encourages…

It is often claimed that working and talking with partners while carrying out maths activities is beneficial to students' learning and the development of their mathematical understanding. However, observational research has shown that primary school children often do not work productively in group-based classroom activities, with the implication…

Examines the dynamic common to the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom in which the teacher takes from the student the burden of the next step in solving a problem, identifies four reasons this is inappropriate, looks at why teachers do it, and offers techniques for handling such situations. (MSE)

This study guide offers a different approach, teleconferencing, to new information, ideas, and resources on the film, "To Kill a Mockingbird." Following general information on "then and now," the guide consists of sections entitled: Preparing to Teach TKM: Special Considerations (by Charles Suhor and Larry Bell); Historical…

In Judith Richards' ethnically diverse third and fourth grade classroom, the morning meeting is a time for discussion. The functions these discussions serve range from sharing personal news to talking about problem-solving strategies. During these meetings, the teacher has a polyphonic role. She participates, moderates, and sometimes writes…

This study examined eight research questions designed to measure students' perceptions of conflict management in the classroom (grades three through eight). In addition to assessing students' satisfaction with the particular conflict management strategies, student self-concept was also measured to determine if the level of self-concept had any…