Current Research Projects
Study Title: Teaching the Skills of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum
Principal Investigator: Seán Delaney
Duration: 2009-2010
Funding: The Teaching Council
Details of Study:
Irish educators are concerned with raising students’ proficiency in mathematics. A key part of mathematical proficiency is the acquisition of mathematical skills such as applying strategies and problem solving, communicating and expressing, and reasoning. Studies of Irish pupils achievement, however, have expressed concern about pupils’ poor performance in problem solving (e.g. Shiel, Surgeoner, Close and Millar, 2006). Among post-primary pupils, Irish pupils perform less well at solving complex mathematical problems than their counter parts in other OECD countries (Cosgrove, Shiel, Sofroniou, Zastrutzki & Shortt, 2005).
One recommendation made by Shiel and his colleagues is that teachers should emphasise more higher-order mathematics skills to all pupils. However, doing this makes substantial demands on a teacher. For example, teachers may be expected to teacher pupils mathematical skills that they themselves had few opportunities to develop in their initial teacher education and in their continuing professional development.
The aims of the study are:
· To provide concrete examples and records of Irish primary school pupils using mathematical skills such as problem solving and reasoning in a classroom setting
· To identify the mathematical knowledge used by one teacher in implementing skills of the curriculum
· To identify ways in which teachers can be supported in enabling pupils to practise mathematical skills as envisaged by the Curriculum statement
· To generate materials that can be used in mathematics teacher education for prospective and practising teachers to learn about teaching mathematical skills
· To identify challenges and benefits of teaching mathematical skills and content to primary school pupils
Study Title: Characteristics, Tasks and Perceptions of Pre-Service Primary Teacher Educators
Co-Principal Investigators: Gene Mehigan and Seán Delaney
Duration: 2006-2010
Collaborator: Colleges of Education Research Consortium
Details of Study:
For the purposes of this study a teacher educator is defined as “a full-time, college-based lecturer, scholar, teacher, researcher or methodologist who instructs, guides, supports, and/or certifies student teachers on a recognized primary pre-service teacher education programme in the Republic of Ireland.” Despite the importance of their work, teacher educators have been an understudied group in Irish education. This study attempts to contribute to what is known about primary teacher educators in Ireland. In the first phase a questionnaire was distributed to all pre-service primary teacher educators to elicit details about their characteristics, the work they do and their perceptions of how future teacher educators should be prepared.
Study Title: Irish Teachers’ Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching
Principal Investigator: Seán Delaney
Duration: 2004-2008
Funding: Department of Education and Science, Marino Institute of Education, University of Michigan
Details of Study:
This is a study of Irish teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching. The idea of mathematical knowledge for teaching was developed at the University of Michigan and it is the kind of knowledge that teachers need in order to teach mathematics. Multiple choice measures of mathematical knowledge that were developed in the United States were adapted and used in to study Irish teachers’ mathematical knowledge. In addition forty lessons taught by ten teachers were videotaped to study the relationship between teachers’ performances on the measures and the “mathematical quality of their instruction” (see Hill et al, 2008).
Publication:
Delaney, S., Ball, D.L., Hill, H. C., Schilling, S.G., Zopf, D. (2008) “Mathematical knowledge for teaching”: Adapting U.S. measures for use in Ireland” Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education 11, 171-197