Kaur, Berinderjeet

As part of the Learner’s Perspective Study (LPS), three competent mathematics teachers were studied for periods of ten lessons each. Data were collected using the complimentary accounts methodology. Since teacher questions are viewed as a critical teaching tool by many researchers and educators, the different types of questions posed by the teachers during their lessons were studied. An attempt was made to link the types of questions and the teachers’ pedagogical goals. This paper will share with the participants the methodology used and respective findings.

Tasks play a critical role in the teaching and learning of mathematics, and are a common feature across all areas of mathematics education research. This review begins with a discussion about definitions of tasks and their typification to allow for a more robust framing of knowledge vis-à-vis tasks. As teachers’ work with tasks is critical to the work of students, the next four sections are dedicated to research developments in frameworks and principles about task design, and teachers’ selection, modification, and enactment of mathematics tasks. There is scope for further research about how and when teachers notice task affordances and engage in classroom discourse using a shared vocabulary for mathematics tasks.

The official curriculum for mathematics in Singapore schools is based on a framework that has mathematical problem solving as its primary goal. It is detailed and one may say that the gap between the designated curriculum and teacher intended curriculum is often very narrow. This is so as the main source of instructional materials is textbooks which are very closely aligned with the official national curriculum. There is a dearth of research on the enactment of the curriculum in Singapore schools, with the few research studies done so far appearing to cover only a narrow focus. The author's view is that, even though only a few such studies have been published, schools have always been engaged in small-scale investigations, the findings of which are necessary to guide decisions on matters related to choice of textbooks and pedagogies for improved student learning. Considering all the published research and the investigative work undertaken by educators in Singapore, it may be said that the conceptual model proposed by Remillard and Heck is rigorous. In addition, the issues in this particular issue of ZDM offer educators, both classroom teachers and others, very good perspectives for research on the enactment of the school mathematics curriculum.

In order that learning and teaching can benefit from the use of assessment strategies which enhance the understanding aspect in the learning of mathematics, it is inevitable the teacher would be required to write items in a consistent way to improve and judge students’ understanding in mathematics. This workshop outlines major considerations in assessing the levels of understanding in mathematics learning, developing and implementation of a multi-dimensional assessment for learning strategy. Participants will be inducted into the dimensions of mathematics understanding, and be introduced to a series of procedures to modify items corresponding to these different dimensions. The workshop will include sorting of items according to the dimensions of understanding, item development-practice which is fundamental to understanding the principles behind assessment for mathematics understanding and to devise rules for modifying conventional classroom items to strengthen learning and teaching of mathematics understanding.

This intervention project was a special focus project of CRPP. This project focused on professional development of primary and secondary schools to enhance the teachers' pedagogy of mathematics in the areas of designing of mathematical learning tasks and of lessons that emphasize understanding, reasoning and communication in teachers' classrooms. The professional development (PD) involved experts working with teachers for a period of two years, during which the experts involved teachers in crafting mathematical learning tasks and designing mathematics lessons that aim to teach for understanding. Throughout the PD teachers worked with fellow teachers, as part of a community of learners, to advance their knowledge and skills in their classroom practice. The project showcased a model of PD, the blended approach, which teachers certainly attested was a preferred model of teacher learning. The deliverables of the project, in particular the three professional books, have been whole heartedly welcomed by mathematics teachers in Singapore schools.

This article is concerning the performance of Singapore students in Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Singapore students' performance on Geometry and Measurement, Estimation and Number Sense show some clear trends. They are: (1) Primary four students outperform primary three students; (2) On most items Singapore students outperform their corresponding International cohort; (3) Girls outperform boys on Geometry but the results are mixed for Measurement, Estimation and Number Sense; and (4) Boys tend to leave questions blank more often than girls. Finally, the analysis of the data also shows that while students perform well in routine situations, they have difficulty using information in non-familiar contexts and making the transition from the enactive mode to the ikonic mode. This implies that there needs to be a focus on activities involving both familiar and non-familiar contexts as well as a specific emphasis on linking enactive and iconic situations.