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A case study of effective practice in mathematics teaching and learning informed by Valsiner's zone theory
Geiger, Vince Anderson, Judy Anderson, Judy Hurrell, Derek
Geiger, Vince
Anderson, Judy
Anderson, Judy
Hurrell, Derek
Abstract
The characteristics that typify an effective teacher of mathematics and the environments that support effective teaching practices have been a long-term focus of educational research. In this article we report on an aspect of a larger study that investigated ‘best practice’ in mathematics teaching and learning across all Australian states and territories. A case study from one Australian state was developed from data collected via classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with school leaders and teachers and analysed using Valsiner’s zone theory. A finding of the study is that ‘successful’ practice is strongly tied to school context and the cultural practices that have been developed by school leaders and teachers to optimise student learningopportunities. We illustrate such an alignment of school culture and practice through a vignette based on a case of one ‘successful’ school.
Keywords
mathematics teaching, mathematics instruction, mathematics pedagogy, mathematics achievement, school environment, Valsiner
Date
2017
Type
Journal article
Journal
Mathematics Education Research Journal
Book
Volume
29
Issue
2
Page Range
143-161
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE)
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled