This paper reports on exploratory research into visual imagery in the learning of early mathematics. It aims to present a theoretical position in relation to perceptual perspectives of visual imagery. Students' visual imagery is explored in one example of a teacher's use of a protocol to encourage students to replicate dot patterns. This example…

Current trends in mathematics education emphasise student-centred learning; and internet-based pedagogies, such as online mathematics instructional platforms, go even further in reducing the role of the classroom teacher. In this paper I consider how teachers may exercise agency and professionalism in the context of online mathematics instruction.…

This paper explores three multilingual students' (9 to 11-years-old) conceptual understanding of three-dimensional (3D) shapes as displayed through peer and classroom interactions in two New Zealand primary classes. Bakhtin's dialogic theory and Garfinkel's ethnomethodology inform the theoretical framework. The paper presents two excerpts from…

Singing, and specifically, the singing of waiata (a song or chant related to the Maori world), is a useful and important mathematics classroom practice in any culture. Focussing on teachers in Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu New Zealand, we suggest waiata is one step teachers can take towards honouring their obligations under Te Tiriti partnership. We…

When working together to enact new and challenging pedagogies, sharing classroom practice is a key resource to inform teachers' inquiry conversations. Understanding the role of trust in collaborative inquiry represents an important tension when teachers are sharing aspects of their work to interrogate and improve their practice. The study used a…

The interactional role of language use in the mathematics classroom is explored in the last few decades. This paper adds to the knowledge base by exploring different ways of talking that children and their teacher use in a New Zealand primary geometry English-medium classroom. Bakhtin's concept of speech genres is used for an analysing transcript…

It is acknowledged that there are connections between language use and mathematics in mathematics education, and the potential challenges this issue can pose have been investigated by researchers. Yet how the challenges can be overcome in statistics classrooms, where language is even more important as a medium of instruction, has received very…

This article reports on an autoethnography by two authors who analysed the interrelationship of their experiences as foreign language learners, educators, and researchers. Both participant-researchers had taken advantage of the accessibility of online learning resources to learn new languages, had incorporated digital tools into their teaching…

In many Western countries, there has been an emphasis on ways in which to support teachers to shift practice from traditional mathematics instruction to inquiry-based classrooms. As a form of professional learning and development, lesson study offers the potential for teachers to develop their ability to respond to students' thinking through…

Interaction and dialogue are seen as essential components of mathematics classrooms of the 21st century. In this paper we explore the pedagogical actions a teacher takes to reposition his diverse learners as active and engaged participants in the classroom. The findings illustrate the need for explicit teacher modelling of ways for students to…

In this paper, an examination of students' relationships with mathematics is informed by affective research into internal mathematical structures and identity research into students' narratives. By analysing the perceptions of a class of 31 adolescents, five interacting elements emerged: students' views, feelings, mathematical knowledge,…

This overall aim of this paper is to report on PhD (Education) research critically examining the nature and significance of academic identity for students in early childhood field-based initial teacher education (FBITE) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Student academic identity is defined as the appropriation of academic values and practices within a…

Student transition from arithmetical understandings to algebraic reasoning is recognised as an important but complex process. An essential element of the transition is the development of a rich understanding of variables. Drawing on findings from a classroom-based study, this paper outlines the instructional tasks and pedagogical actions a teacher…

Research in both the New Zealand and international contexts identifies the need for New Zealand classrooms to foster culturally responsive and mathematical practices that align with Påsifika students' cultural values, backgrounds, interests and experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate how the use of culturally responsive tasks along…

Grouping children by achievement levels is a thriving practice in New Zealand primary school mathematics classrooms. In this paper we look at the impact of a formative intervention project--"Developing Communities of Mathematics Inquiry"--that required a whole-school shift to mixed achievement grouping. Engeström's Cultural Historical…