Students Who Surprise Teachers When Learning Mathematics Through Problem Solving in the Early Primary Years (original) (raw)
International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education
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 ...
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