Search

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many teachers around the world to make a sudden switch from face-to-face to online teaching. This shift in practice has provided an opportunity to reconsider how technology use in mathematics education can be utilised to improve student engagement. In this study, we explore four case studies of Australian secondary mathematics classrooms conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to examine how teachers are using blended learning approaches and how their students perceive these pedagogical practices. Findings across all four sites indicate that technology use expands student opportunities to engage with mathematics learning through the provision of multiple pathways and methods of access. Specifically, we find evidence supporting the use of blended classroom teaching strategies to provide differentiation and personalised learning approaches; visualisation and dynamic manipulation of mathematics concepts; and alternative methods for teacher-student feedback and communication. We argue that the student learning experience in mathematics can be enhanced through a variety of blended learning approaches by allowing for diverse points of access to learning opportunities which are more closely aligned to individual learning needs and free from the temporal constraints of the classroom.

The low levels of student engagement with mathematics has been of significant concern in Australia for some time (Attard, 2013). This is a particularly important issue in mathematics education given the current attention to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education to ensure "the continued prosperity of Australia on all fronts--socially, culturally and economically--for all our citizens and for our place in the world" (Office of the Chief Scientist, 2013, p.3). One of the most common reasons for students to disengage with mathematics is the issue of relevance. Many students fail to see how the mathematics they learn in the primary classroom is applied in their day-to-day lives. Financial literacy appears to be a natural solution to this issue because all students have some familiarity with money related matters. This article presents a case study of one class from a Year 6 classroom from Fairfield Public School that successfully addressed this issue through their participation in an action research project that was based around MoneySmart. The Framework for Engagement with Mathematics is described. The aim of the project was to explore if combining financial literacy education and mathematics, through the use of student-centred units of work, could improve engagement with mathematics and provide a foundation of financial literacy to positively impact children's lives (Attard, 2016). The process for developing a new unit of work in financial literacy is explained.

Engagement with mathematics during the primary years of schooling is crucial if students are to develop an appreciation for and understanding of the value of mathematics learning. It has been claimed that students who are engaged are more likely to learn, find the experience of schooling more rewarding, and are more likely to continue with higher education (Marks, 2000). In this article, the author explains the necessary foundations for engagement to occur and outlines pedagogy that will assist with encouraging student engagement. A particular highlight is the application of Thinkers Keys to the teaching of mathematics; in this case the teaching of time concepts. (Contains 4 figures.)

When discussing issues surrounding mathematics education, the topic of student engagement (or lack of) often dominates conversations. The low levels of engagement with mathematics experienced by students during the middle years have been of some concern to Australian mathematics educators and stakeholders in recent decades. Lowered engagement with mathematics has the potential to affect communities beyond the need to fill occupations that require the use of high level mathematics. It can also limit one's capacity to understand life experiences through a mathematical perspective. This article explores the concept of engagement against the backdrop of a recent longitudinal study into the influences on student engagement during the middle years of schooling, provides some insight into students' perceptions of engaging mathematics lessons and introduces a "framework for engagement with mathematics" that could be used to inform planning. (Contains 1 figure.)

Continuing the series of articles on teaching mathematics with technology, this article furthers the authors' exploration of the use of a range of mobile technologies to enhance teachers' practices in the primary mathematics classroom. In Part 1 of this article, the authors explored the use of the iPod Touch and iPad. In Part 2, they explore global positioning system (GPS) devices and a range of other hand-held devices. (Contains 3 figures.) [For Part 1, see EJ961656.]

The levels of engagement in mathematics experienced by students during the middle years of schooling (Years 5 to 8 in New South Wales) has been of concern in Australia for some years. Lowered engagement in school has been attributed to factors such as inappropriate teaching strategies, curricula that is unchallenging and irrelevant, and cultural and technological conditions that continue to evolve (Sullivan et al. "Australian Journal of Education 53"(2):176-191, 2009). There is currently a gap in this field of research in terms of a lack of longitudinal studies conducted in an Australian context that feature students' voices and their perceptions of mathematics teaching and learning during the middle years. As part of a qualitative longitudinal case study spanning 3 school years, 20 students in their final year of primary school (aged between 11 and 12 years) were asked to provide their views on mathematics teaching and learning. The aim of the study was to explore the students' perspectives of mathematics teaching and learning to discover pedagogies that engage the students. During focus group discussions and individual interviews the students discussed qualities of a "good" mathematics teacher and aspects of "good" lessons. These were found to resonate well with current Australian quality teaching frameworks. The findings of this study indicate that students in the middle years are critically aware of pedagogies that lead to engagement in mathematics, and existing standards and frameworks should be used as a starting point for quality teaching of mathematics.

iPads are beginning to appear in more and more primary classrooms, yet it is difficult to find teaching ideas that promote deep mathematical understanding. Catherine Attard provides a list of teaching considerations to be used when using iPads and two practical ideas for using them.

New technologies continue to change every aspect of home, life and work: the way people communicate, calculate, analyse, shop, make presentations and socialise. "The Australian Curriculum" acknowledges the importance of teaching and learning with technology by including the use of information and communication technology (ICT) as one of the skills, behaviours and attributes, identified as general capabilities, that students need to "succeed in life and work in the twenty-first century." With ICT embedded within the content descriptions and elaborations across each of the three strands in the Australian Curriculum comes a responsibility for teachers to incorporate a repertoire of ICTs that serve to enhance student learning and engagement with mathematics. As with any teaching and learning resources, ICTs have the potential to succeed or fail depending on how they are implemented. This is the first of a series of articles that explores the use of ICT in the classroom. Here, the author highlights the use of the Web as a tool for teaching mathematics.

In this article, the author explores the value of using simple robotics such as BeeBots and ProBots to enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics in the primary classroom. Before making the decision to use such technologies, it is important that they be evaluated in terms of their affordances and constraints. In other words, teachers need to understand how each individual technology could enhance the learning and teaching of specific mathematics content, and, just as importantly, when the use of a specific technology could hinder, limit or distract the learning and teaching of particular mathematics content. This article presents a table listing the affordances and constraints of BeeBots and ProBots. (Contains 2 figures.)