This qualitative, multiple case study provided comprehensive descriptions of the conceptual difficulties and learning experiences of in-service teachers as they improved their ability to effectively model fraction division with pictorial diagrams. Video data were collected on eight teachers as they individually progressed through a professional…

The selection of tasks based on the evaluation of task features can be considered a core practice of teaching and a relevant component of teaching quality. This is typically part of teachers' preparation for their classroom teaching, which prompts the following question: What are the characteristics of the tasks that teachers use when selecting…

Peter Sullivan and colleagues present a report on an initiative at a Victorian primary school which embraced opportunities offered by purposeful collaborative professional learning communities. They utilised a form of Japanese Lesson Study as part of their approach. There are three parts to the story of this initiative: (1) a description of the…

When designing professional development for math teachers, teacher confidence, math anxiety, and student performance are factors to consider. St. Lucie Public Schools in Florida has seen a decline in performance in fifth-grade mathematics, where students are first asked to showcase their knowledge on operations for fractions. As a curriculum…

A recent review of research on virtual manipulatives (VMs), defined as technology-based interactive representations of mathematical ideas (Moyer-Packenham, & Bolyard, 2016), suggests strengths relative to other instructional tools in supporting student learning of mathematics (Moyer-Packenham & Westenskow, 2013). Researchers have…

Microcredentials are a promising means for expanding teacher access to high quality professional development. This study examined the effectiveness of online, self-paced microcredential courses designed for teachers working in underserved rural communities. The content of these competency-based microcredentials centered on recommended…

We analyzed the effects of a game-based, supplemental fraction curriculum on fourth and fifth grade students' fraction knowledge, engagement, and STEM interest. Students with and without disabilities with intersecting identities (e.g., race, disability status, gender) comprised the sample. Results indicate significant differences in fraction…

Purpose: This paper presented the learning process of a group of primary mathematics teachers who participated in two iterations of lesson design, enactment and reflection in a Chinese Lesson Study. Design/methodology/approach: An expansive learning theory was employed to examine the teachers' learning process in lesson study (LS) on representing…

There is a broad consensus that beginning teachers of mathematics need a strong foundation in mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT), defined as the mathematical knowledge required to recognize, understand, and respond to the mathematical work of teaching one must engage in. One recurrent challenge in teacher education is how to provide support…

Teaching fraction operations for conceptual understanding is a challenging task. For the topic of fraction division especially, teachers need support because teachers find this difficult to teach and elementary and middle school students struggle to learn this concept. Well-structured professional development can assist teachers in exploring their…

Learning to compute with fractions is a major challenge for many students and especially for students with disabilities (SWD). Phase 1 of this study employed a randomized pretest-posttest comparison design to test the effects of two versions of formative assessment combined with an instructional program called Fractions at Work. In one condition,…

Expertise in teacher noticing of children's thinking is central to a vision of responsive teaching in which teachers regularly elicit and build on children's thinking during instruction (Richards & Robertson, 2016). In mathematics classrooms, this core instructional practice of noticing children's mathematical thinking repeatedly occurs during…

Learning to compute with fractions is a major challenge for many students and especially for students with disabilities (SWD). Phase 1 of this study employed a randomized pretest-posttest comparison design to test the effects of two versions of formative assessment combined with an instructional program called Fractions at Work. In one condition,…

This paper addresses the continuing need for mathematics teachers to enrich their mathematical knowledge beyond the school curriculum, in order to effectively engage students in creative and imaginative thinking, particularly, but not exclusively, students who show exceptional promise. The author, a retired university professor, works staff and…

Lesson study cultivates teachers' capacity for formative assessment by placing student thinking front and center throughout. Lesson study is a form of professional development in which a team of teachers determines a mathematical focus, collaboratively studies student thinking about the topic, designs a lesson about this content, implements the…