The teaching of measurement concepts typically follows a learning sequence of: (1) identifying the attribute, (2) comparing and ordering, (3) measuring using non-standard units, (4) measuring using standard units, and (5) applications. This sequence is entrenched in many curricular documents and textbooks (Australian Curriculum Assessment and…

As technology quickly evolves, there are breakthroughs in science, space exploration, medical and engineering fields almost every day. In the future, there will be more complicated science and technology problems that need specialized researchers and scientists to find an optimized solution. This paper presents the role of robotics in supporting…

In this article Dan Jazby also explores the issue of noticing, but this time from the teacher's perspective. Dan argues that teacher noticing is a purposeful activity that requires both the technical skills to recognise how students are thinking and the tactical skills to know when and where to look for particular cues.

This article explores the benefits of using digital technology to support and enhance students' understanding during mathematical inquiry. The use of digital technologies enabled students to focus on the problem-solving aspects of the task such as how to compare and represent the data effectively.

The authors describe a 'Geometry chat' as an instructional strategy analogous to 'Number talks' in which students decompose and recompose shapes rather than break numbers apart and then put them back together.

Making patterning the basis of mathematics investigations for an entire year produced unexpected results for Bruce Ferrington. A Year 2 class used the spatial tasks from the Pattern and Structure Mathematics Awareness Program (PASMAP) with a specific emphasis on patterning, to develop their thinking mathematically skills. The result was students…

This article provides a classroom resource for identifying, assessing and promoting one aspect of reasoning--analysing--through the Assessing Mathematical Reasoning Rubric. Practical examples of student work and rubric levels are offered.

Despite the numerous benefits that stem from a coherent mathematical understanding, it is uncommon for teachers to encourage students to form a developed web of mathematical connections (Mousley, 1999). Additionally, when students explain their thinking, they frequently do not state how their reasoning connects to prior knowledge. This obscures…

One of the challenges facing teacher educators is providing our pre-service teachers (PSTs) with authentic experiences that cross the boundaries between Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and the classroom. An additional challenge facing the mathematics teacher educator, is addressing and deepening PSTs' mathematical content knowledge (MCK), which…

Providing students with an opportunity to explore mathematical content through games allows teachers to include tasks that: (1) present alternative representations of the content; (2) welcome various expressions of mathematical reasoning; and (3) incorporate variations that empower all students to engage in the problem solving process. Games not…

A journey into multiplicative thinking by three teachers in a primary school is reported. A description of how the teachers learned to identify gaps in student knowledge is described along with how the teachers assisted students to connect multiplicative ideas in ways that make sense.

This article describes activities in which students deepen their relational understanding of the equals sign through exploring inequalities in a competitive dice game, built around the familiar fairy-tale "The Three Little Pigs" and "The Big Bad Wolf." The activity can be adapted to different abilities by choosing more or less…

In this article, Ajay Ramful and Siew Yin Ho explain the meaning of quantitative reasoning, describing how it is used in the to solve mathematical problems. They also describe a diagrammatic approach to represent relationships among quantities and provide examples of problems and their solutions.

The concept of functional thinking as a foundational idea associated with algebraic thinking is explored by Tracey Muir, Leicha Bragg and Sharyn Livy. They provide ideas for using children's literature as a context to promote functional thinking

An engaging activity which prompts students to listen, talk, reason and write about geometrical properties. The "Bag of Tricks" encourages students to clarify their thoughts and communicate precisely using accurate mathematical language.