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Professor Dame Celia HoylesUniversity College London
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Dr Alison Clark-WilsonUCL Institute of Education
Project overview
Digital technologies have the potential to help children learn mathematics and to boost teachers’ opportunities to improve their own subject knowledge and teaching. However, although schools now have better access to technology, this is often under-used by mathematics teachers. This is partly due to a lack of guidance on effective teaching approaches.
The project will analyse the impact of one software package, Cornerstone Maths, on Key Stage 3 teachers’ mathematical knowledge and pedagogical practice. It will look at the effects of teachers’ engagement in three topics: algebraic generalisation, geometric similarity, and linear functions.
The researchers aim to set out the desirable mathematical knowledge and pedagogical practice that enable teachers to maximise their pupils’ learning. They will also give analytical descriptions of good classroom practices.
The project will include a professional development programme, with over 200 teachers from various professional communities engaging in face-to-face and online professional development and teaching activity. This will focus on the planning and teaching of relevant Cornerstone Maths activities.
One outcome of the project will be a professional development toolkit. This will address general issues related to integrating dynamic technology into maths classrooms. The project’s findings will also contribute to policy debates about the use of digital technology in school mathematics.