Active learning is becoming more widely accepted in mathematics as a superior teaching method for student learning and, as a result, faculty are increasingly convinced of the benefits. Our study was designed to close a research gap by determining how to support mathematics faculty in transforming their instruction to active learning. We…

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that secondary mathematics teachers may not be drawing significant benefit from the tertiary mathematics courses they take in preparation programs or in-service for professional development. While there are some theory-driven attempts to re-design or complement such courses for teachers, empirical…

Calculus courses have been attracting the attention of mathematics education researchers over the last decades. Recent publications and special issues dedicated to calculus highlight the diverse roles of calculus courses in the pathways for STEM studies within and across educational levels, as well as issues related to the academic preparation of…

As university instructors update modes of teaching and student engagement in STEM classes, concerns often arise about student resistance to different methods of teaching and learning. This research examines what it looks like from a student perspective to experience a shift in attitude by exploring the case of Dane, a white male student who…

In this instrumental case study, we examined the ways in which one mathematician's instruction unfolded during his participation in a faculty collaboration geared towards reforming instruction. In the study, we offer the case as both the participant's collaborative experience in an online faculty collaboration and his implementation of an inquiry…

A growing number of university STEM departments are incorporating active learning practices in their courses in response to evidence of the general effectiveness of such practices. Professional development for instructors new to active learning practices is increasingly important as efforts extend to reach past early adopters to engage a wider…

Most prospective secondary mathematics teachers in the United States complete a course in real analysis, yet view the content as unrelated to their future teaching. We leveraged a theoretically-motivated instructional model to design modules for a real analysis course that could inform secondary teachers' actionable content knowledge and pedagogy.…

This paper presents the development and validation of the 17-item mathematics Graduate Student Instructor Observation Protocol (GSIOP) at two universities. The development of this instrument attended to some unique needs of novice undergraduate mathematics instructors while building on an existing instrument that focused on classroom interactions…

In the United States (US) and elsewhere across the world, undergraduate mathematics instructors are increasingly aware of the value of inquiry-based instruction. In this research commentary, we describe the intellectual origins and development of two major strands of inquiry in US higher education, offer an explanation for apparent differences in…

Here we report on the development process of the Inquiry Oriented Instructional Measure (IOIM), an instrument for scoring a lesson along seven inquiry-oriented instructional practices. The development of the IOIM was a multi-phase, iterative process that included reviewing K-16 research literature, analyzing videos of classroom instruction, and…

In the United States, there is significant interest from policy boards and funding agencies to change students' experiences in undergraduate mathematics classes. Abstract algebra, an upper division undergraduate course typically required for mathematics majors, has been the subject of reform initiatives since at least the 1960s; yet there is…

Concerns over the quality and diversity of the future workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the United States have led to repeated calls to reform undergraduate education. This paper focuses on the efforts of one mathematics education reform movement in higher education to frame itself and its inquiry-based…

This paper focuses directly on mathematics teaching practice at university level, exploring "what teachers do and think daily, in class and out, as they perform their teaching work" (Speer et al. in "The Journal of Mathematical Behavior," 29, 99-114, 2010, p. 99). It is based on a small corpus of research conducted from…

In this paper we investigate task design in an unusual professional development course for elementary school teachers, conceived and taught by research mathematicians. Prior analysis singled out "relevance for teaching" as a critical design issue for engaging teachers in effective learning. The aim of the current research is to uncover…

Mathematics teachers interact with resources of various kinds in their work in and out of class. The documentational approach of didactics is a theoretical approach that has been elaborated to investigate these interactions and their consequences in terms of teachers' practice and teachers' beliefs in particular. According to this approach, using…