Research on solving mathematical word problems suggests that students may perform better on problems with a close to real-life representation of the problem situation than on word problems. In this study we pursued real-life representation by a mainly depictive representation of the problem situation, …

A primary teacher needs mathematical problem solving ability. That is why Dutch student teachers have to show this ability in a nationwide mathematics test that contains many non-routine problems. Most student teachers prepare for this test by working on their own solving test-like problems. To what …

Explicit language objectives are included in the Swedish national curriculum for mathematics. The curriculum states that students should be given opportunities to develop the ability to formulate problems, use and analyse mathematical concepts and relationships between concepts, show and follow mathematical …

Blended learning, a teaching format in which face-to-face and online learning is integrated, nowadays is an important development in education. Little is known, however, about its affordances for teacher education, and for domain specific didactical courses in particular. To investigate this topic, we …

An essential condition to use mathematics to solve problems is the ability to recognize, imagine and represent relations between quantities. In particular, covariational reasoning has been shown to be very challenging for students at all levels. The aim of the project Interactive Virtual Math (IVM) is …

Learning by Design (LBD) is a project-based inquiry approach for interdisciplinary teaching that uses design contexts to learn skills and conceptual knowledge. Research around the year 2000 showed that LBD students achieved high skill performances but disappointing conceptual learning gains. A series …

The main purpose of this research is to explore in what ways the gender gap could become smaller in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field of higher education in the Netherlands. To gain insight into this issue, research has been conducted by the Swedish approach to attempt …

The aim of this study is to contribute to the body of knowledge on the use of contextual mathematical problems. Word problems are a predominant genre in mathematics classrooms in assessing students’ ability to solve problems from everyday life. Research on word problems, however, reveals a range of difficulties …

Curious about the world. Education in harmony with the surrounding context’. On December 11, 2014, dr. Hanno van Keulen was installed as professor on the chair for Educational Leadership at Windesheim Flevoland University of Applied Science in Almere, the Netherlands. In his lecture, Hanno van Keulen …

PURPOSE: This study examined the effect of a 16-wk ball skill intervention on the ball skills, executive functioning (in terms of problem solving and cognitive flexibility), and in how far improved executive functioning leads to improved reading and mathematics performance of children with learning disorders. …