Research Areas

Our research aims at improving the teaching and learning of the sciences. We work across a broad range of sciences (mathematics, statistics, physical sciences, environmental sciences etc) and at all levels of education from early childhood to adult learning. Research students are welcome to join us.

Below are some of the research areas that we are engaged in. More information can be found on the site of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education's Melbourne Education Research Institute and also via the University of Melbourne's Research Publications Database.

Themes and projects

Enhancing mathematics learning with new technologies
Our mathematics team has extensive experience in researching issues associated with teaching and learning mathematics with technology. We have established valuable links with teachers and schools in all sectors and our research has also had systemic impact, including on the state examinations. Research projects have focussed on issues such as:

• Pedagogical issues and student engagement
• Student learning, in algebra, calculus and geometry
  
• Teacher professional learning
  
• Assessment
  
• Curriculum change

Over the past five to ten years research projects have investigated issues associated with teaching and learning with Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) and the use of dynamic geometry, graphing packages and software used to analyse still and moving images to explore real life contexts. Our technology research continues to provide interesting new questions for exploration and we welcome new researchers to join our team.

Staff:
Professor Kaye Stacey, Ms Lynda Ball, Dr Robyn Pierce, Mr Peter Flynn, Dr Jill Vincent

Websites:
RITEMATHS Research Project

CAS-CAT Research Project and Resource Material

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Technology and its role in science education
The Science education team has spent many years researching issues associated with technologies as construction sites in science education. Some of these areas of interest include:

• investigations of new technologies may transform learning in Science Education
• Understanding teacher change processes and professional learning
• Technology and cognition in science education research

In science education lessons, artifacts have traditionally been relied upon to mediate (Wertsch, 1998) understandings about science concepts. But the different ways teachers and children make sense of these artifacts has not been well understood. Teachers seem sometimes practice from a belief that artifacts will communicate particular meanings.  The artifacts may not be offering the conventional perspective that has been perhaps readily assumed.

Current work constitutes on-going research to examine the use of technology tools in teaching and learning in science education. Currently the research examines classroom use of Interactive Whiteboards, Blogs, Podcasts and Vodcasts which are systematically being investigated for their contribution to and impact on emerging pedagogies. As well, the contribution of new technologies to student’s learning in science education, teacher practices and approaches are being considered. Funding for a 2007 research project, with a UK partner, will deepen this work.

Staff:
Dr Christine Redman, Dr Maurice Toscano, Dr Rod Fawns, Ann Smith

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Probing understanding of decimal notation
We have longstanding interests in the development of students' mathematical thinking. Two main areas in recent years have been examining students' thinking about number and algebra, and how teaching of these topics can be improved. For example, our team has been conducting research into conceptual understanding of decimal notation over the past 10 years. Our research involves school students (primary and secondary); university students (pre-service teachers and nurses); and includes Australian as well as international samples. The Teaching and Learning about Decimals CD-ROM incorporates knowledge from our research, and the accompanying website was selected by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse in the Digital Dozen, a list of exemplary sites for educators.

Our work on decimal numbers also has significant links to study of the development of students' thinking and misconceptions in mathematics generally, to the use of computer games for teaching mathematics and to the design of adaptive tutoring programs using artificial intelligence techniques.

Staff:
Professor Kaye Stacey, Dr Vicki Steinle

Websites:
Teaching and Learning About Decimals

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Understanding student’s and teacher’s personal identity in science education
Understanding the place of the social and cultural in teacher and student relationships and personal identity formation in the science classroom are essential in Science Education. Key areas of our past and present research include:

• Student’s perceptions of science modelling and artifacts
• Student’s perceptions of common science concepts
• Pedagogically effective approaches to students learning in science
• Strategies for a social-constructivist and collaborative inquiry approach to learning
• Pre-service science teacher education approaches

Staff: Dr Christine Redman

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Students' emerging algebraic thinking in primary and middle school years
Teachers vision has for so long been restricted to thinking of arithmetic primarily as computation. Research in this area investigates relational thinking and how it differs from computational thinking. Exploring the different forms of relational thinking used by students in Years 5 to 7 in Japan, Australia and Thailand in solving number sentences, the research shows that differences in relational thinking exist between countries and between schools in the same country. To make a successful transition to algebraic thinking which is essentially relational, students need to be able to move forwards and backwards across a bridge connecting number sentences and powerful generalizations that can be derived from them.

Staff:
Dr Maxwell Stephens, Professor Kaye Stacey

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Pedagogical content knowledge in mathematics
The Knowledge for Teaching Primary Mathematics project has been investigating mathematics teaching in upper primary school, focusing on mathematics-specific pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and how this affects teaching practice and student learning. This has arisen out of the growing understanding that it is more than just content knowledge (the correct doing of mathematics) that is necessary for successful teaching. There must be  knowledge of student thinking and likely misconceptions, of explanations and representations that will build understanding, of teaching strategies that will engage students and allow them to focus on the conceptual issues, and so on. We have developed a framework highlighting aspects of PCK that allows us to examine aspects of teaching for evidence of appropriate and well-utilised knowledge. We have investigated PCK through the use of questionnaires and interviews, video-taped pairs of lessons, and post-lesson reflective interviews. This study is providing insight into which aspects of PCK may be of particular importance for teaching, whether or not it is dependent on the mathematical topic, how it develops, and what may assist teachers in developing it.

Of particular interest are the choices teachers make: what tasks to assign, what questions to ask of whom, what content to emphasise, what examples to use, what type of explanation to give, and so on. The concept of affordances is important here, a term used to refer to the opportunities inherent in these choices, even if the teacher may not be aware of them. So much of what takes place in the classroom is affected by what might be possible (based on the capabilities of students, the opportunities that are offered by tasks and is possible (based on what the teacher and students actually do within the lessons).


Staff:
Dr Helen Chick (with Monica Baker and Kiri Harris)
Funding for Project: Australian Research Council Discovery Grant 2004-2006

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Deepening Understanding in Secondary Mathematics through Mathematical Modelling and Applications
Current and future research projects in this area focus on the use of applications and mathematical modeling as approaches to teaching and learning mathematics throughout the secondary school level.
Particular foci are:

• Design of extended tasks at middle secondary level
• Use of technology to overcome increased cognitive demand of such tasks and to bring enhanced cognitive engagement and access to higher mathematical ideas earlier
• Conditions supporting or impeding curriculum change in this area
• Development of a framework for identifying blockages in transitions in the modeling process
• Development and piloting of instruments for assessing modelling competencies at the secondary student level and pre-service teacher level
• Documentation of modeling competencies at lower and upper secondary schooling and for teaching

Staff:
Dr Gloria Stillman

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The Shallow Teaching Syndrome in School Mathematics:  towards practical ways that will engage students more deeply
Australian governments have made considerable investment in international comparative studies of student achievement in mathematics. One of the findings is that an average Australian lesson exhibits the 'shallow teaching syndrome', having relatively lower complexity, higher repetition and less mathematical reasoning than high achieving countries. This project will interview curriculum leaders and textbook writers, and analyse both traditional textbook and innovative curriculum materials. This will help to understand the reasons for the syndrome and recommend practical ways in which lessons that engage students more deeply, can be encouraged.  This project is funded as an Australian government’s ARC Discovery project for 2007 and 2008.

Staff
Professor Kaye Stacey  (Chief Investigator ) and Dr Jill Vincent

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Analysis of TIMSS and PISA international studies
Australia's participation in TIMSS and PISA since 1994 has resulted in a huge bank of data on performance in mathematics and science, lessons, attitudes, and school and classroom environments. Our secondary review and analyses extract findings to assist Australian schools to improve.

Staff
Professor Kaye Stacey, Dr Max Stephens

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SMART tests - Specific Mathematics Assessments that Reveal Thinking
The project “Supporting personalised learning in secondary schools through the use of specific mathematics assessments that reveal thinking” is being supported by the Australian Research Council and Victoria’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development from 2008 - 2010. This project aims to markedly improve the information available to teachers about each of their students’ learning, by creating research-based assessments that reveal students' mathematical thinking. We call these SMART tests. Some are in a traditional formal and other are not, but they are all easy for a bisy classroom teacher to use. These innovative tests, supported by an intelligent on-line environment, will allow informative diagnosis of student thinking to the right depth for action, linked to targeted teaching resources. The project will test two hypotheses: that personalised learning supported by these tools improves student achievement and also improves teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. Personalised learning aims to improve school achievement. To achieve personalised learning, teachers need information about each student's understandings to select instruction for specific conceptual changes.

Staff:
Professor Kaye Stacey, Dr Vicki Steinle, Dr Helen Chick, Eugene Gvozdenko, Beth Price, Dr Dianne Chambers

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