Beliefs and Mathematics is a Festschrift honoring the contributions of Günter Törner to mathematics education and mathematics. Mathematics Education as a legitimate area of research emerged from the initiatives of well known mathematicians of the last century such as Felix Klein and Hans Freudenthal. Today there is an increasing schism between researchers in mathematics education and those in mathematics as evidenced in the Math wars in the U.S and other parts of the world. Günter Törner represents an international voice of reason, well respected and known in both groups, one who has successfully bridged and worked in both domains for three decades. His contributions in the domain of beliefs theory are well known and acknowledged. The articles in this book are written by many prominent researchers in the area of mathematics education, several of whom are editors of leading journals in the field and have been at the helm of cutting edge advances in research and practice. The contents cover a wide spectrum of research, teaching and learning issues that are relevant for anyone interested in mathematics education and its multifaceted nature of research. The book as a whole also conveys the beauty and relevance of mathematics in societies around the world. It is a must read for anyone interested in mathematics education.

This text offers guidance to teachers, mathematics coaches, administrators, parents, and policymakers. This book: provides a research-based description of eight essential mathematics teaching practices ; describes the conditions, structures, and policies that must support the teaching practices ; builds on NCTM's Principles and Standards for School Mathematics and supports implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics to attain much higher levels of mathematics achievement for all students ; identifies obstacles, unproductive and productive beliefs, and key actions that must be understood, acknowledged, and addressed by all stakeholders ; encourages teachers of mathematics to engage students in mathematical thinking, reasoning, and sense making to significantly strengthen teaching and learning.

This book provides guidance and insight into ′what mathematics leadership looks like in practice′ and shows readers how they can develop from a confident teacher into a curriculum subject leader. It does this through a careful blend of pedagogy and practical application, supported by a range of real-world case studies and opportunities to reflect critically on classroom practice. Key coverage includes: The planning and application that underpins subject leadership How international perspectives can influence leadership of mathematics How to develop fluency through problem solving and reasoning How to champion inclusive practice in mathematics Assessing children′s understanding This is essential reading for anyone studying primary mathematics on initial teacher education courses, including undergraduate (BA Ed, BA with QTS) and postgraduate (PGCE, PGDE, School Direct and SCITT) routes, NQTs seeking to develop into curriculum leadership roles and those already leading mathematics in their school.

This book comprises the Proceedings of the 12th International Congress on Mathematical Education (ICME-12), which was held at COEX in Seoul, Korea, from July 8th to 15th, 2012. ICME-12 brought together 3500 experts from 92 countries, working to understand all of the intellectual and attitudinal challenges in the subject of mathematics education as a multidisciplinary research and practice. This work aims to serve as a platform for deeper, more sensitive and more collaborative involvement of all major contributors towards educational improvement and in research on the nature of teaching and learning in mathematics education. It introduces the major activities of ICME-12 which have successfully contributed to the sustainable development of mathematics education across the world. The program provides food for thought and inspiration for practice for everyone with an interest in mathematics education and makes an essential reference for teacher educators, curriculum developers and researchers in mathematics education. The work includes the texts of the four plenary lectures and three plenary panels and reports of three survey groups, five National presentations, the abstracts of fifty one Regular lectures, reports of thirty seven Topic Study Groups and seventeen Discussion Groups.

This volume provides an in-depth, comparative examination of how primary mathematics education is influenced by national education reform, policy, local resources, and culture in three different countries. By drawing on first-hand observations and interviews, as well as analysis of policy documents and learning resources, the book considers the viability of transferring best practices in primary mathematics education across global contexts. Three diverse countries – Ghana, the US, and Singapore – are explored. Similarities and differences are highlighted, and the influence of national and regional initiatives related to pedagogical strategies, teacher education, and cultural expectations are considered, to offer an insightful examination of how best practices might be shared across borders. This book will benefit researchers, academics, and postgraduate scholars with an interest in international and comparative education, mathematics, and educational policy. Those with a specialization in primary mathematics education, including pedagogy and teacher preparation, will also benefit from this book.

The Learner's Perspective Study aims to juxtapose the observable practices of the classroom and the meanings attributed to those practices by classroom participants. The LPS research design documents sequences of at least ten lessons, using three video cameras, supplemented by the reconstructive accounts of classroom participants obtained in post-lesson video-stimulated interviews, and by test and questionnaire data, and copies of student written material. In each participating country, data generation focuses on the classrooms of three teachers, identified by the local mathematics education community as competent, and situated in demographically different school communities within the one major city. The large body of complex data supports both the characterisation of practice in the classrooms of competent teachers and the development of theory.

How can KS1/2 teachers improve their mathematics teaching? This book helps readers to become better, more confident teachers of mathematics by enabling them to focus critically on what they know and what they do in the classroom. Building on their close observation of primary mathematics classrooms, the authors provide those starting out in the teaching profession with a four-stage framework which acts as a tool of support for developing their teaching: - making sense of foundation knowledge - focusing on what teachers know about mathematics - transforming knowledge - representing mathematics to learners through examples, analogies, illustrations and demonstrations - connection - helping learners to make sense of mathematics through understanding how ideas and concepts are linked to each other - contingency - what to do when the unexpected happens Each chapter includes practical activities, lesson descriptions and extracts of classroom transcripts to help teachers reflect on effective practice.