Building mathematical understanding in the classroom: a constructivist teaching approach

The Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training commissioned the Catholic Education South Australia Office to undertake an investigation into effective constructivist teaching strategies designed to support students in improving their numeracy skills. An action research approach using quantitative and qualitative methods was used in nine mathematics classrooms. The research addressed the questions: What does a mathematics classroom look like when working with constructivist learning theory? What strategies do teachers use to facilitate learning in an environment that engages all students in the construction of their own knowledge?

Research indicated that the teaching and learning process is influenced by the social and physical environment where it takes place. There is no single aspect of teaching or environment feature that produces learning for all students; rather, a combination of techniques and environmental elements must be employed to enable the learning of an entire class. The assessment of individual students’ mathematical understanding, combined with follow-up by the teacher on understanding of new concepts, was a major factor in the improvement of all students’ numeracy skills. Finally, professional learning through collaborative action research supported the teachers to further develop their own knowledge of mathematics, their understanding of students’ thinking and how a constructivist approach to mathematics teaching can contribute to students’ learning.

Electronic version only available from the Department.  Print copies may be available for loan from your local library.

• Main report:  download PDF    (3.6 MB, 148 pages)
• Appendices:  download PDF    (3.1 MB, 78 pages)