Sharyn Livy | Monash University (original) (raw)

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Papers by Sharyn Livy

Research paper thumbnail of Insights into Students’ Geometric Reasoning Relating to Prisms

International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education

Research paper thumbnail of Australian primary school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education

This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary school te... more This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning in an Australian educational context. While research over the past three decades have documented pedagogical benefits of teaching mathematics using children’s literature, research into teachers’ perceptions regarding the use of such resources is virtually non-existent. The study thus filled this research gap by drawing responses from open-ended survey questions of 94 in-service and 82 pre-service teachers in Australia. A thematic analysis revealed 13 perceived barriers classified under five themes with Lack of Pedagogical Knowledge and Confidence, and Time Constraint, representing 75% of all perceived barriers. Moreover, 14 perceived enablers were identified and classified under five themes with Pedagogical Benefits and Love of Stories representing around 70% of al...

Research paper thumbnail of Australian primary school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 2021

This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary school te... more This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning in an Australian educational context. While research over the past three decades have documented pedagogical benefts of teaching mathematics using children’s literature, research into teachers’ perceptions regarding the use of such resources is virtually non-existent. The study thus flled this research gap by drawing responses from open-ended survey questions of 94 in-service and 82 pre-service teachers in Australia. A thematic analysis revealed 13 perceived barriers classifed under fve themes with Lack of Pedagogical Knowledge and Confdence, and Time Constraint, representing 75% of all perceived barriers. Moreover, 14 perceived enablers were identifed and classifed under fve themes with Pedagogical Benefts and Love of Stories representing around 70% of all perceiv...

Research paper thumbnail of Bringing joy and success to classes through student-centred teaching of mathematics

Engaging the Disengaged

Bringing joy and success to classes through student-centred teaching of mathematics, in Engaging ... more Bringing joy and success to classes through student-centred teaching of mathematics, in Engaging the disengaged : inclusive approaches to teaching the least advantaged,

Research paper thumbnail of Instructional Moves that Increase Chances of Engaging All Students in Learning Mathematics

Mathematics

Despite the construct of challenge being recognized as an essential element of mathematics instru... more Despite the construct of challenge being recognized as an essential element of mathematics instruction, concerns have been raised about whether such approaches benefit students with diverse academic needs. In this article, we focus on the beliefs and instructional practices of teachers teaching students in the first three years of school (5 to 8 years of age). These teachers participated in professional learning focused on challenging mathematical tasks differentiated through their open-ended design and the use of enabling and extending prompts. The instructional practices are explained using the Theory of Didactical Situations. Questionnaire data from pre-intervention (n = 148) and post-intervention (n = 100) groups of teachers indicated that teachers in the post-intervention group held more negative beliefs than those in the pre-intervention group about the capability of instructional approaches involving a priori grouping of students by performance levels. Interviews with ten tea...

Research paper thumbnail of Students Who Surprise Teachers When Learning Mathematics Through Problem Solving in the Early Primary Years

International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education

Teacher reluctance to teach mathematics through challenging tasks is frequently linked to beliefs... more Teacher reluctance to teach mathematics through challenging tasks is frequently linked to beliefs that such approaches are not appropriate for students perceived as less mathematically capable. One potential means of shifting such beliefs is inviting teachers to reflect on students that surprise them when working on such tasks. Early years’ primary teachers (n = 160) participated in a professional learning initiative that supported them to implement up to ten sequences of challenging tasks in their classrooms across the school year. When asked to describe a student who surprised them when working on the sequences, approximately half (47%) of teachers described students previously assumed to be less mathematically capable being successful in their mathematical learning. Most remaining teachers (36%) commented on the depth of student mathematical thinking and positive learning dispositions demonstrated, without making any explicit reference to preconceptions of student capability. By ...

Research paper thumbnail of Instructional Moves that Increase Chances of Engaging All Students in Learning Mathematics

Mathematics, 2021

Despite the construct of challenge being recognized as an essential element of mathematics instru... more Despite the construct of challenge being recognized as an essential element of mathematics instruction, concerns have been raised about whether such approaches benefit students with diverse academic needs. In this article, we focus on the beliefs and instructional practices of teachers teaching students in the first three years of school (5 to 8 years of age). These teachers participated in professional learning focused on challenging mathematical tasks differentiated through their open-ended design and the use of enabling and extending prompts. The instructional practices are explained using the Theory of Didactical Situations. Questionnaire data from pre-intervention (n = 148) and post-intervention (n = 100) groups of teachers indicated that teachers in the postintervention group held more negative beliefs than those in the pre-intervention group about the capability of instructional approaches involving a priori grouping of students by performance levels. Interviews with ten teac...

Research paper thumbnail of Students Who Surprise Teachers When Learning Mathematics Through Problem Solving in the Early Primary Years

International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 2020

Teacher reluctance to teach mathematics through challenging tasks is frequently linked to beliefs... more Teacher reluctance to teach mathematics through challenging tasks is frequently linked to beliefs that such approaches are not appropriate for students perceived as less mathematically capable. One potential means of shifting such beliefs is inviting teachers to reflect on students that surprise them when working on such tasks. Early years' primary teachers (n = 160) participated in a professional learning initiative that supported them to implement up to ten sequences of challenging tasks in their classrooms across the school year. When asked to describe a student who surprised them when working on the sequences, approximately half (47%) of teachers described students previously assumed to be less mathematically capable being successful in their mathematical learning. Most remaining teachers (36%) commented on the depth of student mathematical thinking and positive learning dispositions demonstrated, without making any explicit reference to preconceptions of student capability....

Research paper thumbnail of Threats and opportunities in remote learning of mathematics: implication for the return to the classroom

Mathematics Education Research Journal

Australian schools, like schools elsewhere, have been through a period of closure. The closure cr... more Australian schools, like schools elsewhere, have been through a period of closure. The closure creates both threats and opportunities for teachers and students. In the context of a project exploring approaches to teaching in early years, we outline some considerations and offer advice to teachers and educators on strategies for welcoming students back to school.

Research paper thumbnail of Elementary teachers’ beliefs on the role of struggle in the mathematics classroom

The Journal of Mathematical Behavior

Reform-oriented approaches to mathematics instruction view struggle as critical to learning; howe... more Reform-oriented approaches to mathematics instruction view struggle as critical to learning; however, research suggests many teachers resist providing opportunities for students to struggle. Ninety-three early-years Australian elementary teachers completed a questionnaire about their understanding of the role of struggle in the mathematics classroom. Thematic analysis of data revealed that most teachers (75%) held positive beliefs about struggle, with four overlapping themes emerging: building resilience, central to learning mathematics, developing problem solving skills and facilitating peer-to-peer learning. Many of the remaining teachers (16%) held what constituted conditionally positive beliefs about struggle, emphasising that the level of challenge provided needed to be suitable for a given student and adequately scaffolded. The overwhelmingly positive characterisation of student struggle was surprising given prior research but consistent with our contention that an emphasis on growth mindsets in educational contexts over the last decade has seen a shift in teachers' willingness to embrace struggle.

Research paper thumbnail of Characteristics of a secondary school with improved NAPLAN results

Mathematics Education Research Journal

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring the relationship between teacher enjoyment of mathematics, their attitudes towards student struggle and instructional time amongst early years primary teachers

Teaching and Teacher Education

In this study we explored the relationship between teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics, the... more In this study we explored the relationship between teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics, their attitudes towards student struggle, and the amount of time teachers spent teaching mathematics. Ninety-eight primary educators were surveyed regarding their attitudes and behaviors towards mathematics instruction. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics explained variance in both teacher attitudes towards student struggle and instructional time spent on mathematics, even after relevant educator characteristics were accounted for. Findings suggest that teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics in the early primary years has important implications for both the quality and quantity of mathematics instruction students receive.

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring an innovative approach to teaching mathematics through the use of challenging tasks: a New Zealand perspective

Mathematics Education Research Journal

Research paper thumbnail of School leaders’ identification of school level and teacher practices that influence school improvement in national numeracy testing outcomes

The Australian Educational Researcher

Research paper thumbnail of Developing primary pre-service teachers’ mathematical content knowledge: opportunities and influences

Mathematics Education Research Journal

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring experiences for assisting primary pre-service teachers to extend their knowledge of student strategies and reasoning

The Journal of Mathematical Behavior

Research paper thumbnail of Can We Really Count on Frank?

Teaching Children Mathematics, 2013

Use this new framework to select and analyze picture books for their mathematical content, such a... more Use this new framework to select and analyze picture books for their mathematical content, such as the accuracy of the number of cans that stack in a shopping cart.

Research paper thumbnail of Developing Primary Pre-service Teachers' Mathematical Content Knowledge During Practicum Teaching

The Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 2016

While it is recognised that a teachers' mathematical content knowledge (MCK) is crucial for teach... more While it is recognised that a teachers' mathematical content knowledge (MCK) is crucial for teaching, less is known about when different categories of MCK develop during teacher education. This paper reports on two primary pre-service teachers, whose MCK was investigated during their practicum experiences in first, second and fourth years of a four-year Bachelor of Education program. The results identify when and under what conditions pre-service teachers' developed different categories of their MCK during practicum. Factors that assisted pre-service teachers to develop their MCK included program structure providing breadth and depth of experiences; sustained engagement for learning MCK; and quality of pre-service teachers' learning experiences.

Research paper thumbnail of Pre-service teachers' responses for ratio and proportion items

Merga36 2013 Mathematics Education Yesterday Today and Tomorrow Proceedings of the 36th Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia 2013 Conference, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of What Do They Know? A Comparison of Pre-Service Teachers' and Inservice Teachers' Decimal Mathematical Content Knowledge

International Journal For Mathematics Teaching and Learning, Dec 5, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Insights into Students’ Geometric Reasoning Relating to Prisms

International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education

Research paper thumbnail of Australian primary school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education

This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary school te... more This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning in an Australian educational context. While research over the past three decades have documented pedagogical benefits of teaching mathematics using children’s literature, research into teachers’ perceptions regarding the use of such resources is virtually non-existent. The study thus filled this research gap by drawing responses from open-ended survey questions of 94 in-service and 82 pre-service teachers in Australia. A thematic analysis revealed 13 perceived barriers classified under five themes with Lack of Pedagogical Knowledge and Confidence, and Time Constraint, representing 75% of all perceived barriers. Moreover, 14 perceived enablers were identified and classified under five themes with Pedagogical Benefits and Love of Stories representing around 70% of al...

Research paper thumbnail of Australian primary school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 2021

This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary school te... more This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning in an Australian educational context. While research over the past three decades have documented pedagogical benefts of teaching mathematics using children’s literature, research into teachers’ perceptions regarding the use of such resources is virtually non-existent. The study thus flled this research gap by drawing responses from open-ended survey questions of 94 in-service and 82 pre-service teachers in Australia. A thematic analysis revealed 13 perceived barriers classifed under fve themes with Lack of Pedagogical Knowledge and Confdence, and Time Constraint, representing 75% of all perceived barriers. Moreover, 14 perceived enablers were identifed and classifed under fve themes with Pedagogical Benefts and Love of Stories representing around 70% of all perceiv...

Research paper thumbnail of Bringing joy and success to classes through student-centred teaching of mathematics

Engaging the Disengaged

Bringing joy and success to classes through student-centred teaching of mathematics, in Engaging ... more Bringing joy and success to classes through student-centred teaching of mathematics, in Engaging the disengaged : inclusive approaches to teaching the least advantaged,

Research paper thumbnail of Instructional Moves that Increase Chances of Engaging All Students in Learning Mathematics

Mathematics

Despite the construct of challenge being recognized as an essential element of mathematics instru... more Despite the construct of challenge being recognized as an essential element of mathematics instruction, concerns have been raised about whether such approaches benefit students with diverse academic needs. In this article, we focus on the beliefs and instructional practices of teachers teaching students in the first three years of school (5 to 8 years of age). These teachers participated in professional learning focused on challenging mathematical tasks differentiated through their open-ended design and the use of enabling and extending prompts. The instructional practices are explained using the Theory of Didactical Situations. Questionnaire data from pre-intervention (n = 148) and post-intervention (n = 100) groups of teachers indicated that teachers in the post-intervention group held more negative beliefs than those in the pre-intervention group about the capability of instructional approaches involving a priori grouping of students by performance levels. Interviews with ten tea...

Research paper thumbnail of Students Who Surprise Teachers When Learning Mathematics Through Problem Solving in the Early Primary Years

International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education

Teacher reluctance to teach mathematics through challenging tasks is frequently linked to beliefs... more Teacher reluctance to teach mathematics through challenging tasks is frequently linked to beliefs that such approaches are not appropriate for students perceived as less mathematically capable. One potential means of shifting such beliefs is inviting teachers to reflect on students that surprise them when working on such tasks. Early years’ primary teachers (n = 160) participated in a professional learning initiative that supported them to implement up to ten sequences of challenging tasks in their classrooms across the school year. When asked to describe a student who surprised them when working on the sequences, approximately half (47%) of teachers described students previously assumed to be less mathematically capable being successful in their mathematical learning. Most remaining teachers (36%) commented on the depth of student mathematical thinking and positive learning dispositions demonstrated, without making any explicit reference to preconceptions of student capability. By ...

Research paper thumbnail of Instructional Moves that Increase Chances of Engaging All Students in Learning Mathematics

Mathematics, 2021

Despite the construct of challenge being recognized as an essential element of mathematics instru... more Despite the construct of challenge being recognized as an essential element of mathematics instruction, concerns have been raised about whether such approaches benefit students with diverse academic needs. In this article, we focus on the beliefs and instructional practices of teachers teaching students in the first three years of school (5 to 8 years of age). These teachers participated in professional learning focused on challenging mathematical tasks differentiated through their open-ended design and the use of enabling and extending prompts. The instructional practices are explained using the Theory of Didactical Situations. Questionnaire data from pre-intervention (n = 148) and post-intervention (n = 100) groups of teachers indicated that teachers in the postintervention group held more negative beliefs than those in the pre-intervention group about the capability of instructional approaches involving a priori grouping of students by performance levels. Interviews with ten teac...

Research paper thumbnail of Students Who Surprise Teachers When Learning Mathematics Through Problem Solving in the Early Primary Years

International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 2020

Teacher reluctance to teach mathematics through challenging tasks is frequently linked to beliefs... more Teacher reluctance to teach mathematics through challenging tasks is frequently linked to beliefs that such approaches are not appropriate for students perceived as less mathematically capable. One potential means of shifting such beliefs is inviting teachers to reflect on students that surprise them when working on such tasks. Early years' primary teachers (n = 160) participated in a professional learning initiative that supported them to implement up to ten sequences of challenging tasks in their classrooms across the school year. When asked to describe a student who surprised them when working on the sequences, approximately half (47%) of teachers described students previously assumed to be less mathematically capable being successful in their mathematical learning. Most remaining teachers (36%) commented on the depth of student mathematical thinking and positive learning dispositions demonstrated, without making any explicit reference to preconceptions of student capability....

Research paper thumbnail of Threats and opportunities in remote learning of mathematics: implication for the return to the classroom

Mathematics Education Research Journal

Australian schools, like schools elsewhere, have been through a period of closure. The closure cr... more Australian schools, like schools elsewhere, have been through a period of closure. The closure creates both threats and opportunities for teachers and students. In the context of a project exploring approaches to teaching in early years, we outline some considerations and offer advice to teachers and educators on strategies for welcoming students back to school.

Research paper thumbnail of Elementary teachers’ beliefs on the role of struggle in the mathematics classroom

The Journal of Mathematical Behavior

Reform-oriented approaches to mathematics instruction view struggle as critical to learning; howe... more Reform-oriented approaches to mathematics instruction view struggle as critical to learning; however, research suggests many teachers resist providing opportunities for students to struggle. Ninety-three early-years Australian elementary teachers completed a questionnaire about their understanding of the role of struggle in the mathematics classroom. Thematic analysis of data revealed that most teachers (75%) held positive beliefs about struggle, with four overlapping themes emerging: building resilience, central to learning mathematics, developing problem solving skills and facilitating peer-to-peer learning. Many of the remaining teachers (16%) held what constituted conditionally positive beliefs about struggle, emphasising that the level of challenge provided needed to be suitable for a given student and adequately scaffolded. The overwhelmingly positive characterisation of student struggle was surprising given prior research but consistent with our contention that an emphasis on growth mindsets in educational contexts over the last decade has seen a shift in teachers' willingness to embrace struggle.

Research paper thumbnail of Characteristics of a secondary school with improved NAPLAN results

Mathematics Education Research Journal

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring the relationship between teacher enjoyment of mathematics, their attitudes towards student struggle and instructional time amongst early years primary teachers

Teaching and Teacher Education

In this study we explored the relationship between teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics, the... more In this study we explored the relationship between teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics, their attitudes towards student struggle, and the amount of time teachers spent teaching mathematics. Ninety-eight primary educators were surveyed regarding their attitudes and behaviors towards mathematics instruction. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics explained variance in both teacher attitudes towards student struggle and instructional time spent on mathematics, even after relevant educator characteristics were accounted for. Findings suggest that teacher enjoyment of teaching mathematics in the early primary years has important implications for both the quality and quantity of mathematics instruction students receive.

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring an innovative approach to teaching mathematics through the use of challenging tasks: a New Zealand perspective

Mathematics Education Research Journal

Research paper thumbnail of School leaders’ identification of school level and teacher practices that influence school improvement in national numeracy testing outcomes

The Australian Educational Researcher

Research paper thumbnail of Developing primary pre-service teachers’ mathematical content knowledge: opportunities and influences

Mathematics Education Research Journal

Research paper thumbnail of Exploring experiences for assisting primary pre-service teachers to extend their knowledge of student strategies and reasoning

The Journal of Mathematical Behavior

Research paper thumbnail of Can We Really Count on Frank?

Teaching Children Mathematics, 2013

Use this new framework to select and analyze picture books for their mathematical content, such a... more Use this new framework to select and analyze picture books for their mathematical content, such as the accuracy of the number of cans that stack in a shopping cart.

Research paper thumbnail of Developing Primary Pre-service Teachers' Mathematical Content Knowledge During Practicum Teaching

The Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 2016

While it is recognised that a teachers' mathematical content knowledge (MCK) is crucial for teach... more While it is recognised that a teachers' mathematical content knowledge (MCK) is crucial for teaching, less is known about when different categories of MCK develop during teacher education. This paper reports on two primary pre-service teachers, whose MCK was investigated during their practicum experiences in first, second and fourth years of a four-year Bachelor of Education program. The results identify when and under what conditions pre-service teachers' developed different categories of their MCK during practicum. Factors that assisted pre-service teachers to develop their MCK included program structure providing breadth and depth of experiences; sustained engagement for learning MCK; and quality of pre-service teachers' learning experiences.

Research paper thumbnail of Pre-service teachers' responses for ratio and proportion items

Merga36 2013 Mathematics Education Yesterday Today and Tomorrow Proceedings of the 36th Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia 2013 Conference, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of What Do They Know? A Comparison of Pre-Service Teachers' and Inservice Teachers' Decimal Mathematical Content Knowledge

International Journal For Mathematics Teaching and Learning, Dec 5, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Australian primary school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning

Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 2021

This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary school te... more This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary
school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning in an Australian educational context. While
research over the past three decades have documented pedagogical benefts of teaching
mathematics using children’s literature, research into teachers’ perceptions regarding the
use of such resources is virtually non-existent. The study thus flled this research gap by
drawing responses from open-ended survey questions of 94 in-service and 82 pre-service
teachers in Australia. A thematic analysis revealed 13 perceived barriers classifed under
fve themes with Lack of Pedagogical Knowledge and Confdence, and Time Constraint,
representing 75% of all perceived barriers. Moreover, 14 perceived enablers were identifed
and classifed under fve themes with Pedagogical Benefts and Love of Stories representing around 70% of all perceived enablers. Findings also showed that most of the teachers in
the study (around 75%) never or infrequently used children’s literature in their mathematics classrooms. The study highlights the role of professional learning and teacher training
in ensuring that both in- and pre-service teachers have the necessary pedagogical knowledge, experience and confdence in using children’s literature to enrich their mathematics
teaching.