Inquiry-based Learning In Mathematics Research Articles

The Effectiveness of Inquiry-based Learning on Middle School Students’ Mathematics Reasoning Skill

This study investigated the effectiveness of inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach in ratio and proportion on the mathematics reasoning skill of seventh-grade students. The study was carried out in a seventh-grade mathematics course in a middle school located in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey during the 2016-2017 academic year. The IBL content was prepared and implemented about the ratio and proportion topics on which the reasoning skill is effective in the 7th grade curriculum. The IBL teaching implementations were conducted with 30 seventh grade students, but nine students, who represented different math achievement levels, were selected for the study’s analysis. Course video recordings, worksheets, student interviews, and diaries were used as data collection tools. The results showed that the students' predictive, explanation, generalization and justification skills emerged as indicators of reasoning skill. Students made different predictions and generalizations based on their existing knowledge and they developed solutions to problems using different strategies in IBL process. According to these findings, it was concluded that students' reasoning skill were effective during IBL. Keywords: Inquiry-Based Learning in Mathematics (IBL-M), Reasoning skill, Ratio and proportion, Middle school students

Inquiry-Based Learning Practices in Lower-Secondary Mathematics Education Reported by Students from China and the Netherlands

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) emphasizes learning through experiencing and constructing. Where IBL is often applied in science education, the conceptualization of IBL practices in mathematics education is less obvious. We compared students’ reports on IBL practices in two different teaching cultures as an attempt to better understand IBL practices in connection with overarching teaching cultures. In this study, we investigated IBL practices in lower-secondary mathematics lessons in the Beijing area and the Netherlands through a survey about the experiences and preferences of 858 Chinese students and 441 Dutch students. Results show that students from the Beijing sample reported experiencing IBL activities in most mathematics lessons, while students from the Dutch sample reported them in some lessons, and both preferred the same amount of IBL activities as they experienced. The Dutch sample reported little experience with posing questions to tackle. The study also suggests a correlation between IBL experience and IBL preference of each class: students with more IBL experience are likely to show a higher preference for IBL activities. Results of this study do not confirm expectations based on stereotypes about the two teaching cultures. The students’ perspective in both samples suggests that providing complex problems and organizing group work have potential for further encouraging IBL in mathematics.

Shifting more than the goal posts: developing classroom norms of inquiry-based learning in mathematics

The 3-year study described in this paper aims to create new knowledge about inquiry norms in primary mathematics classrooms. Mathematical inquiry addresses complex problems that contain ambiguities, yet classroom environments often do not adopt norms that promote curiosity, risk-taking and negotiation needed to productively engage with complex problems. Little is known about how teachers and students initiate, develop and maintain norms of mathematical inquiry in primary classrooms. The research question guiding this study is, “How do classroom norms develop that facilitate student learning in primary classrooms which practice mathematical inquiry?” The project will (1) analyse a video archive of inquiry lessons to identify signature practices that enhance productive classroom norms of mathematical inquiry and facilitate learning, (2) engage expert inquiry teachers to collaborate to identify and design strategies for assisting teachers to develop and sustain norms over time that are conducive to mathematical inquiry and (3) support and study teachers new to mathematical inquiry adopting these practices in their classrooms. Anticipated outcomes include identification and illustration of classroom norms of mathematical inquiry, signature practices linked to these norms and case studies of primary teachers’ progressive development of classroom norms of mathematical inquiry and how they facilitate learning.

A survey of the practice of a large-scale implementation of inquiry-based mathematics teaching: from Taiwan’s perspective

This is a brief commentary from the perspective of Taiwan. We first introduce the background of Taiwan’s involvement in the global educational reform related to inquiry-based learning in mathematics and science. In the main part, we share some important ideas based on our experiences of conducting nationwide teacher professional development projects in Taiwan, followed by some discussion and suggestions. The commentary concludes with some remarks. Inquiry-based learning (IBL) has been a popular issue in the trend of science and mathematics education reform for decades all over the world. More than 20 years ago, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) indicated that inquiry is one of the most important contexts for students’ learning of mathematical concepts and knowledge, to include exploring, conjecturing, reasoning logically and evaluating whether something makes sense or not (NCTM 1991). As an active member of the global village, Taiwan, of course, is part of this global trend of educational reform. Even though our student performances in international assessments, such as TIMSS and PISA, are always among the leading group of the world (Mullis et al. 2008, 2012; Organization for Economic and Co-operation Development (OECD), 2005), students’ low learning motivation and lack of inquiry habits of mind have been noted by both researchers and the government (Lin and Liu 2011). As a result, many research projects about science and mathematics inquiry have been conducted by researchers within the last 20 years. The National Science Council also implemented a nationwide ‘‘High Scope Project’’ (NSC 2006) 7 years ago for promoting senior and vocational high school students’ science and mathematics inquiry competences. Further, many individuals, institutions and governmental organizations have supported professional developments for teachers in various aspects of IBL for more than a decade [e.g., teacher professional development for IBL teaching has been one of the themes of the calls for projects from NSC for 10 years; see http:// www.nsc.gov.tw/sci/lp.asp?CtNode=1618&CtUnit=1221& BaseDSD=7 (in Chinese)]. In this issue of ZDM, nine papers are included focusing on inquiry-based mathematics education (IBME) and its implementation. It is our pleasure to share some opinions based on the experiences of educational reform in Taiwan.

A US perspective on the implementation of inquiry-based learning in mathematics

This paper discusses issues related to the potential adoption of inquiry-based learning (IBL) projects in mathematics in the United States. To explain the chal- lenges faced in making a place for IBL in the mathematics curriculum, we describe the historical demands of working with a diverse, highly distributed educational system (that is, a system that does not have a central educational deci- sion-making agency with the authority to mandate nation- wide changes), the impact of high-stakes tests to either open or limit the potential for curricular changes, and the changing context in the United States owing to the emer- gence of the Common Core State Standards in Mathe- matics (CCSS-M) and nationwide high-stakes assessments designed to be consistent with the CCSS-M. We identify a number of dimensions along which there would be chal- lenges for the implementation of IBL in US school math- ematics, including: perceived societal needs; schooling traditions; the specific framing of CCSS-M goals pertaining to problem solving, communicating and reasoning, and modeling and data analysis; and the readiness of the US teaching force to implement IBL. We then consider the issue of scaling up interventions such as IBL, and the politics involved therein.

Inquiry-based learning in mathematics and science: a comparative baseline study of teachers’ beliefs and practices across 12 European countries

In the European educational context, reports by expert groups have identified the necessity of a renewed pedagogy in schools to overcome deficits in science and mathematics teaching and to raise the standards of scientific and mathematical literacy. Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is considered the method of choice. However, it remains open to what extent IBL is actually used in day-to-day teaching. In the study presented here we elaborate—from the perspective of teachers—the current status of IBL in day-to-day teaching. Further, we explore what problems teachers anticipate when implementing IBL. In order to gain insight into the wide spectrum of practices in mathematics and science teaching in relation to IBL, a baseline study using teacher questionnaires was carried out in the 12 participating countries. We present selected results from this study that for the first time provides an overview of teachers’ beliefs and their reports on the current use of IBL practices in a European context. The results facilitate a cross-cultural comparison on the potentials and challenges of implementing IBL from the perspective of practicing teachers. Furthermore, the study reveals considerable differences between the teaching of mathematics and science subjects. The findings of the baseline study can serve as a reference line against which the impact of interventions to improve the quality of teaching and learning can be evaluated.