Skip to main content

Tasks and Mathematics Learning

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Teaching with Tasks for Effective Mathematics Learning

Part of the book series: Mathematics Teacher Education ((MTEN,volume 104))

  • 5216 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter summarises some research results and scholarly commentary that emphasise the importance of mathematical tasks, and the ways they contribute to learning, the role of teacher knowledge in the effective use of tasks, the ways that teacher beliefs and attitudes influence the use of tasks, the nature of the constraints that teachers can anticipate, and the ways that each of these influence the teacher intentions. Particular recommendations about task creation, selection, and use are presented.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anthony, G., & Walshaw, M. (2009). Effective pedagogy in mathematics. Educational series 19. Brussels: International Academy of Education; Geneva: International Bureau of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Association of Teachers of Mathematics (ATM). (1988). Reflections on teacher intervention. Derby, UK: ATM.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, R. & Renshaw, P. (2006). Transforming practice: Using collective argumentation to bring about change in a year 7 mathematics classroom. In P. Grootenboer, R. Zevenbergen, & M. Chinnapan (Eds), Identities, cultures and learning spaces **(Proceedings of the 29th Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, pp. 99–107). Canberra. July.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charalambous, C. Y. (2008). Mathematical knowledge for teaching and the unfolding of tasks in mathematics lessons: Integrating two lines of research. In O. Figuras, J. L. Cortina, S. Alatorre, T. Rojano, & A. Sepulveda (Eds.), Proceedings of the 32nd **Annual Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 2, pp. 281–288). Morelia: PME.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christiansen, B., & Walther, G. (1986). Task and activity. In B. Christiansen, A. G. Howson, & M. Otte (Eds.), Perspectives on mathematics education (pp. 243–307). The Netherlands: Reidel.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, P., & McClain, K. (1999). Supporting teachers’ learning in social and institutional contexts. In Fou-Lai Lin (Ed.), Proceedings of the 1999 International Conference on Mathematics Teacher Education (pp. 7–77). Taipei: National Taiwan Normal University

    Google Scholar 

  • Delpit, L. (1988). The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educating other people’s children. Harvard Educational Review, 58(3), 280–298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Desforges, C., & Cockburn, A. (1987). Understanding the mathematics teacher: A study of practice in first schools. London: The Falmer Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doyle, W. (1986). Classroom organisation and management. In M. C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (pp. 392–431). New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ernest, P. (1988). The attitudes and practices of student teachers of primary school mathematics. In A. Borbas (Ed.), Proceedings of the Annual Conference of Pyschology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 2, pp. 288–295). Beszprem, Hungary: PME.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gee, J. P. (2004). Learning by design: Games as learning machines. http://labweb.education.wisc.edu/room130/jim.htm. Accessed 25 Apr 2005.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, S., & Case, R. (1997). Re-thinking the primary school with curriculum: An approach based on cognitive science. Issues in Education, 3(1), 1–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hannula, M. (2004). Affect in mathematical thinking and learning. Turku: Turun Yliopisto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hiebert, J., & Wearne, D. (1997). Instructional tasks, classroom discourse and student learning in second grade arithmetic. American Educational Research Journal, 30(2), 393–425.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, H. C., Ball, D. L., & Schilling, S. G. (2008). Unpacking pedagogical content knowledge: Conceptualising and measuring teachers’ topic-specific knowledge of students. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 39(4), 372–400.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhs, T. M., & Ball, D. L. (1986). Approaches to teaching mathematics: Mapping the domains knowledge, skills, and dispositions. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Center on Teacher Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nisbet, S., & Warren, E. (2000). Primary school teachers’ beliefs relating to mathematics, teaching and assessing mathematics and factors that influenced those beliefs. Mathematics Teacher Education and Development, 2, 34–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Philipp, R. A. (2007). Mathematics teachers’ beliefs and affect. In F. K. Lester (Ed.), Second handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 257–315). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing & National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowland, T., Huckstep, P., & Thwaites, A. (2005). Elementary teachers' mathematics subject knowledge: The knowledge quartet and the case of Naomi. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 8(3), 255–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shulman, L. S. (1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, M. K., Grover, B. W., & Henningsen, M. (1996). Building student capacity for mathematical thinking and reasoning: An analysis of mathematical tasks used in reform classrooms. American Educational Research Journal, 33(2), 455–488.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, M. K., & Lane, S. (1996). Instructional tasks and the development of student capacity to think and reason and analysis of the relationship between teaching and learning in a reform mathematics project. Educational Research and Evaluation, 2(1), 50–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, P., Mousley, J., & Zevenbergen, R. (2006). Developing guidelines for teachers helping students experiencing difficulty in learning mathematics. In P. Grootenboer, R. Zevenbergen & M. Chinnappan (Eds.), Identities, cultures and learning spaces **(Proceedings of the 29th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, pp. 496–503). Sydney: MERGA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swan, M. (2005). Improving learning in mathematics: Challenges and strategies. UK: Department for Education and Skills Standards Unit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, A. G. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and conceptions: A synthesis of research. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 127–146). New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tschannen-Moran, M., Hoy, A., & Hoy, W. (1998). Teaching efficacy: Its meaning and measure. Review of Educational Research, 68(2), 202–248.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tzur, R. (2008). A researcher perplexity: Why do mathematical tasks undergo metamorphosis in teacher hands? In O. Figuras, J. L. Cortina, S. Alatorre, T. Rojano, & A Sepulveda (Eds.), Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (pp. 1–139, 147). Morelia: PME.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, A., & Sullivan, P. (2008). Teachers learning about tasks and lessons. In D. Tirosh & T. Wood (Eds.), Tools and resources in mathematics teacher education (pp. 109–135). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Sullivan, P., Clarke, D., Clarke, B. (2013). Tasks and Mathematics Learning. In: Teaching with Tasks for Effective Mathematics Learning. Mathematics Teacher Education, vol 104. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4681-1_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics