math research topics for elementary students

Elementary Education Research Paper Topics

This comprehensive guide to elementary education research paper topics is designed to assist students and researchers in the field of education. The guide provides a wide array of topics divided into ten categories, each with ten unique topics, offering a diverse range of areas to explore in the field of elementary education. Additionally, the guide offers expert advice on how to choose a research topic and how to write an elementary education research paper. The final sections of the guide introduce iResearchNet’s professional writing services and encourage students to take advantage of these services for their research needs.

100 Elementary Education Research Paper Topics

Elementary education is a broad field with numerous areas to explore. Whether you’re interested in teaching methods, curriculum development, educational technology, or the social aspects of elementary education, there’s a research topic for you. Here, we present a comprehensive list of elementary education research paper topics, divided into ten categories. Each category contains ten unique topics, offering a diverse range of areas to explore in your research.

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1. Teaching Methods and Strategies

The effectiveness of Montessori methods in elementary education.
The role of play in learning in the early years.
The impact of differentiated instruction on student achievement.
The benefits and challenges of cooperative learning in the elementary classroom.
The role of feedback in promoting student learning.
The impact of teaching strategies on students’ motivation.
The effectiveness of inquiry-based learning in science education.
The role of storytelling in teaching literacy skills.
The impact of technology on teaching and learning in the elementary classroom.
The role of creativity in teaching and learning.

2. Curriculum and Instruction

The impact of curriculum design on student learning.
The role of interdisciplinary teaching in elementary education.
The effectiveness of project-based learning in teaching science.
The role of cultural relevance in curriculum design.
The impact of standardized testing on curriculum and instruction.
The role of critical thinking in the elementary curriculum.
The effectiveness of integrating arts in the curriculum.
The impact of curriculum alignment on student achievement.
The role of experiential learning in the elementary curriculum.
The challenges of teaching social studies in the elementary classroom.

3. Educational Technology

The impact of digital technology on student learning.
The role of educational games in teaching math.
The effectiveness of using iPads in the classroom.
The role of virtual reality in teaching science.
The impact of technology on student engagement.
The challenges of integrating technology in the classroom.
The role of technology in promoting collaborative learning.
The effectiveness of using technology in teaching reading skills.
The impact of technology on teacher-student communication.
The role of technology in personalized learning.

4. Social Aspects of Elementary Education

The impact of classroom climate on student learning.
The role of social-emotional learning in elementary education.
The effectiveness of character education programs.
The role of peer relationships in student learning.
The impact of school culture on student achievement.
The challenges of teaching diversity and inclusion in the elementary classroom.
The role of student-teacher relationships in student learning.
The effectiveness of anti-bullying programs in elementary schools.
The impact of parental involvement on student achievement.
The role of community partnerships in promoting student learning.

5. Special Education

The effectiveness of inclusive education in the elementary classroom.
The role of individualized education programs in supporting students with special needs.
The impact of teacher training on the success of inclusive education.
The challenges of teaching students with learning disabilities.
The role of assistive technology in supporting students with special needs.
The effectiveness of earlyintervention programs for students with special needs.
The impact of classroom accommodations on the academic success of students with special needs.
The role of collaboration between general and special education teachers.
The effectiveness of behavior management strategies for students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
The impact of special education policies on student outcomes.

6. Early Childhood Education

The impact of early childhood education on academic success.
The role of play in early childhood education.
The effectiveness of early literacy programs.
The role of parental involvement in early childhood education.
The impact of early childhood education on social skills development.
The challenges of teaching math in early childhood education.
The role of creativity in early childhood education.
The effectiveness of early intervention programs.
The impact of early childhood education on cognitive development.
The role of teacher-child relationships in early childhood education.

7. Educational Policies and Reforms

The impact of No Child Left Behind on elementary education.
The role of Common Core State Standards in curriculum development.
The effectiveness of school choice policies.
The role of educational policies in promoting equity in education.
The impact of teacher evaluation policies on teaching and learning.
The challenges of implementing educational reforms in elementary schools.
The role of educational policies in promoting teacher quality.
The effectiveness of policies aimed at reducing the achievement gap.
The impact of educational funding policies on student achievement.
The role of educational policies in promoting parental involvement.

8. Teacher Education and Professional Development

The impact of teacher education programs on teacher effectiveness.
The role of ongoing professional development in promoting teacher quality.
The effectiveness of mentorship programs for novice teachers.
The role of reflective practice in teacher professional development.
The impact of teacher beliefs on teaching practices.
The challenges of teaching in high-needs schools.
The role of teacher collaboration in professional development.
The effectiveness of teacher induction programs.
The impact of teacher leadership on school improvement.
The role of teacher autonomy in promoting job satisfaction.

9. Classroom Management

The impact of classroom management strategies on student behavior.
The role of positive reinforcement in promoting appropriate behavior.
The effectiveness of classroom rules and procedures.
The role of teacher-student relationships in classroom management.
The impact of classroom environment on student learning.
The challenges of managing disruptive behavior.
The role of behavior management strategies in promoting a positive classroom climate.
The effectiveness of conflict resolution strategies in the classroom.
The impact of classroom management on student engagement.
The role of classroom routines in promoting student responsibility.

10. Assessment and Evaluation

The impact of formative assessment on student learning.
The role of feedback in student assessment.
The effectiveness of performance-based assessment.
The role of self-assessment in promoting student learning.
The impact of standardized testing on teaching and learning.
The challenges of assessing student learning in diverse classrooms.
The role of assessment in curriculum planning.
The effectiveness of portfolio assessment.
The impact of grading policies on student motivation.
The role of assessment in identifying students at risk of academic failure.

This comprehensive list of elementary education research paper topics provides a wide range of areas to explore. Whether you’re interested in teaching methods, curriculum development, educational technology, or the social aspects of elementary education, there’s a research topic for you. Remember, the best research topic is one that you’re genuinely interested in and passionate about.

Elementary Education Research Guide

Elementary education, also known as primary education, is a crucial stage in the educational journey of a child. It is during these formative years that children acquire foundational skills in areas such as reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. Additionally, they develop critical thinking skills, creativity, and social competencies that are essential for their overall growth and development.

Elementary education serves as the building block for all future learning. The experiences and knowledge gained during these years can significantly influence a child’s attitude towards learning, their academic success, and their lifelong learning habits. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that children receive quality education during these years.

Research in elementary education is of paramount importance. It helps educators, policymakers, and stakeholders understand the best practices, methodologies, and strategies to enhance learning outcomes in primary education. It also provides insights into the challenges faced in elementary education and how to address them effectively.

Elementary education research paper topics can span a wide range of areas, including teaching methods, learning styles, the impact of technology on learning, educational policies, classroom management, and many more. Choosing a research topic in this field requires careful consideration of various factors, including your interests, the relevance of the topic, and the availability of resources.

In the following sections, we provide a comprehensive list of elementary education research paper topics, expert advice on choosing a topic and writing a research paper, and information about iResearchNet’s professional writing services. Whether you are a student embarking on your first research project or a seasoned researcher looking for new areas to explore, this guide is designed to assist you in your research journey.

Choosing Elementary Education Research Paper Topics

Choosing a research topic is a critical step in the research process. The topic you select will guide your study, influence the complexity and relevance of your work, and determine how engaged you are throughout the process. In the field of elementary education, there are numerous intriguing topics that can be explored. Here are some expert tips to assist you in this process:

Understanding Your Interests: The first step in choosing a research topic is to understand your interests. What areas of elementary education fascinate you the most? Are you interested in how teaching methods influence student learning, or are you more intrigued by the role of technology in the classroom? Reflecting on these questions can help you narrow down your options and choose a topic that truly engages you. Remember, research is a time-consuming process, and your interest in the topic will keep you motivated.
Evaluating the Scope of the Topic: Once you have identified your areas of interest, the next step is to evaluate the scope of potential elementary education research paper topics. A good research topic should be neither too broad nor too narrow. If it’s too broad, you may struggle to cover all aspects of the topic effectively. If it’s too narrow, you may have difficulty finding enough information to support your research. Try to choose a topic that is specific enough to be manageable but broad enough to have sufficient resources.
Assessing Available Resources and Data: Before finalizing a topic, it’s important to assess the available resources and data. Are there enough academic sources, such as books, journal articles, and reports, that you can use for your research? Is there accessible data that you can analyze if your research requires it? A preliminary review of literature and data can save you from choosing a topic with limited resources.
Considering the Relevance and Applicability of the Topic: Another important factor to consider is the relevance and applicability of the topic. Is the topic relevant to current issues in elementary education? Can the findings of your research be applied in real-world settings? Choosing a relevant and applicable topic can increase the impact of your research and make it more interesting for your audience.
Seeking Advice: Don’t hesitate to seek advice from your professors, peers, or other experts in the field. They can provide valuable insights, suggest resources, and help you refine your topic. Discussing your ideas with others can also help you see different perspectives and identify potential issues that you may not have considered.
Flexibility: Finally, be flexible. Research is a dynamic process, and it’s okay to modify your topic as you delve deeper into your study. You may discover new aspects of the topic that are more interesting or find that some aspects are too challenging to explore due to constraints. Being flexible allows you to adapt your research to these changes and ensure that your study is both feasible and engaging.

Remember, choosing a research topic is not a decision to be taken lightly. It requires careful consideration and planning. However, with these expert tips, you can navigate this process more effectively and choose an elementary education research paper topic that not only meets your academic requirements but also fuels your passion for learning.

How to Write an Elementary Education Research Paper

Writing a research paper is a significant academic task that requires careful planning, thorough research, and meticulous writing. In the field of elementary education, this process can be particularly challenging due to the complexity and diversity of the field. However, with the right approach and strategies, you can write a compelling and insightful research paper. Here are some expert tips to guide you through this process:

Understanding the Structure of a Research Paper: A typical research paper includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion. The introduction presents your research question and its significance. The literature review provides an overview of existing research related to your topic. The methodology explains how you conducted your research. The results section presents your findings, and the discussion interprets these findings in the context of your research question. Finally, the conclusion summarizes your research and suggests areas for future research.
Developing a Strong Thesis Statement: Your thesis statement is the central argument of your research paper. It should be clear, concise, and debatable. A strong thesis statement guides your research and helps your readers understand the purpose of your paper.
Conducting Thorough Research: Before you start writing, conduct a thorough review of the literature related to your topic. This will help you understand the current state of research in your area, identify gaps in the literature, and position your research within this context. Use academic databases to find relevant books, journal articles, and other resources. Remember to evaluate the credibility of your sources and take detailed notes to help you when writing.
Writing and Revising Drafts: Start writing your research paper by creating an outline based on the structure of a research paper. This will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that you cover all necessary sections. Write a first draft without worrying too much about perfection. Focus on getting your ideas down first. Then, revise your draft to improve clarity, coherence, and argumentation. Make sure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and supports your thesis statement.
Proper Citation and Avoiding Plagiarism: Always cite your sources properly to give credit to the authors whose work you are building upon and to avoid plagiarism. Familiarize yourself with the citation style required by your institution or discipline, such as APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, or Harvard. There are many citation tools available online that can help you with this.
Seeking Feedback: Don’t hesitate to seek feedback on your drafts from your professors, peers, or writing centers at your institution. They can provide valuable insights and help you improve your paper.
Proofreading: Finally, proofread your paper to check for any grammatical errors, typos, or inconsistencies in formatting. A well-written, error-free paper makes a good impression on your readers and enhances the credibility of your research.
Incorporating Elementary Education Concepts: When writing an elementary education research paper, it’s crucial to accurately incorporate elementary education concepts. Make sure you understand these concepts thoroughly and can explain them clearly in your paper. Use examples where appropriate to illustrate these concepts.
Analyzing and Interpreting Data: If your research involves data analysis, be sure to explain your analysis process and interpret the results in a way that is understandable to your readers. Discuss the implications of your findings for the broader field of elementary education.
Discussing Real-World Applications: Elementary education is a practical field with many real-world applications. Discuss how your research relates to these applications. This can make your research more interesting and relevant to your readers.

Remember, writing a research paper is a process that requires time, effort, and patience. Don’t rush through it.Take the time to plan your research, conduct thorough research, write carefully, and revise your work. With these expert tips, you can write an elementary education research paper that is insightful, well-structured, and contributes to the field of elementary education.

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math research topics for elementary students

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181 Mathematics Research Topics From PhD Experts

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If you are reading this blog post, it means you are looking for some exceptional math research topics. You want them to be original, unique even. If you manage to find topics like this, you can be sure your professor will give you a top grade (if you write a decent paper, that is). The good news is that you have arrived at just the right place – at the right time. We have just finished updating our list of topics, so you will find plenty of original ideas right on this page. All our topics are 100 percent free to use as you see fit. You can reword them and you don’t need to give us any credit.

And remember: if you need assistance from a professional, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are not just the best place for math research topics for high school students; we are also the number one choice for students looking for top-notch research paper writing services.

Our Newest Research Topics in Math

We know you probably want the best and most recent research topics in math. You want your paper to stand out from all the rest. After all, this is the best way to get some bonus points from your professor. On top of this, finding some great topics for your next paper makes it easier for you to write the essay. As long as you know at least something about the topic, you’ll find that writing a great paper or buy phd thesis isn’t as difficult as you previously thought.

So, without further ado, here are the 181 brand new topics for your next math research paper:

Cool Math Topics to Research

Are you looking for some cool math topics to research? We have a list of original topics for your right here. Pick the one you like and start writing now:

Roll two dice and calculate a probability
Discuss ancient Greek mathematics
Is math really important in school?
Discuss the binomial theorem
The math behind encryption
Game theory and its real-life applications
Analyze the Bernoulli scheme
What are holomorphic functions and how do they work?
Describe big numbers
Solving the Tower of Hanoi problem

Undergraduate Math Research Topics

If you are an undergraduate looking for some research topics for your next math paper, you will surely appreciate our list of interesting undergraduate math research topics:

Methods to count discrete objects
The origins of Greek symbols in mathematics
Methods to solve simultaneous equations
Real-world applications of the theorem of Pythagoras
Discuss the limits of diffusion
Use math to analyze the abortion data in the UK over the last 100 years
Discuss the Knot theory
Analyze predictive models (take meteorology as an example)
In-depth analysis of the Monte Carlo methods for inverse problems
Squares vs. rectangles (compare and contrast)

Number Theory Topics to Research

Interested in writing about number theory? It is not an easy subject to discuss, we know. However, we are sure you will appreciate these number theory topics:

Discuss the greatest common divisor
Explain the extended Euclidean algorithm
What are RSA numbers?
Discuss Bézout’s lemma
In-depth analysis of the square-free polynomial
Discuss the Stern-Brocot tree
Analyze Fermat’s little theorem
What is a discrete logarithm?
Gauss’s lemma in number theory
Analyze the Pentagonal number theorem

Math Research Topics for High School

High school students shouldn’t be too worried about their math papers because we have some unique, and quite interesting, math research topics for high school right here:

Discuss Brun’s constant
An in-depth look at the Brahmagupta–Fibonacci identity
What is derivative algebra?
Describe the Symmetric Boolean function
Discuss orders of approximation in limits
Solving Regiomontanus’ angle maximization problem
What is a Quadratic integral?
Define and describe complementary angles
Analyze the incircle and excircles of a triangle
Analyze the Bolyai–Gerwien theorem in geometry
Math in our everyday life

Complex Math Topics

If you want to give some complex math topics a try, we have the best examples below. Remember, these topics should only be attempted by students who are proficient in mathematics:

Mathematics and its appliance in Artificial Intelligence
Try to solve an unsolved problem in math
Discuss Kolmogorov’s zero-one law
What is a discrete random variable?
Analyze the Hewitt–Savage zero-one law
What is a transferable belief model?
Discuss 3 major mathematical theorems
Describe and analyze the Dempster-Shafer theory
An in-depth analysis of a continuous stochastic process
Identify and analyze Gauss-Markov processes

Easy Math Research Paper Topics

Perhaps you don’t want to spend too much time working on your next research paper. Who can blame you? Check out these easy math research paper topics:

Define the hyperbola
Do we need to use a calculator during math class?
The binomial theorem and its real-world applications
What is a parabola in geometry?
How do you calculate the slope of a curve?
Define the Jacobian matrix
Solving matrix problems effectively
Why do we need differential equations?
Should math be mandatory in all schools?
What is a Hessian matrix?

Logic Topics to Research

We have some interesting logical topics for research papers. These are perfect for students interested in writing about math logic. Pick one right now:

Discuss the reductio ad absurdum approach
Discuss Boolean algebra
What is consistency proof?
Analyze Trakhtenbrot’s theorem (the finite model theory)
Discuss the Gödel completeness theorem
An in-depth analysis of Morley’s categoricity theorem
How does the Back-and-forth method work?
Discuss the Ehrenfeucht–Fraïssé game technique
Discuss Aleph numbers (Aleph-null and Aleph-one)
Solving the Suslin problem

Algebra Topics for a Research Paper

Would you like to write about an algebra topic? No problem, our seasoned writers have compiled a list of the best algebra topics for a research paper:

Discuss the differential equation
Analyze the Jacobson density theorem
The 4 properties of a binary operation in algebra
Analyze the unary operator in depth
Analyze the Abel–Ruffini theorem
Epimorphisms vs. monomorphisms: compare and contrast
Discuss the Morita duality in algebraic structures
Idempotent vs. nilpotent in Ring theory
Discuss the Artin-Wedderburn theorem
What is a commutative ring in algebra?
Analyze and describe the Noetherian ring

Math Education Research Topics

There is nothing wrong with writing about math education, especially if your professor did not give you writing prompts. Here are some very nice math education research topics:

What are the goals a mathematics professor should have?
What is math anxiety in the classroom?
Teaching math in UK schools: the difficulties
Computer programming or math in high school?
Is math education in Europe at a high enough level?
Common Core Standards and their effects on math education
Culture and math education in Africa
What is dyscalculia and how does it manifest itself?
When was algebra first thought in schools?
Math education in the United States versus the United Kingdom

Computability Theory Topics to Research

Writing about computability theory can be a very interesting adventure. Give it a try! Here are some of our most interesting computability theory topics to research:

What is a multiplication table?
Analyze the Scholz conjecture
Explain exponentiating by squaring
Analyze the Myhill-Nerode theorem
What is a tree automaton?
Compare and contrast the Pushdown automaton and the Büchi automaton
Discuss the Markov algorithm
What is a Turing machine?
Analyze the post correspondence problem
Discuss the linear speedup theorem
Discuss the Boolean satisfiability problem

Interesting Math Research Topics

We know you want topics that are interesting and relatively easy to write about. This is why we have a separate list of our most interesting math research topics:

What is two-element Boolean algebra?
The life of Gauss
The life of Isaac Newton
What is an orthodiagonal quadrilateral?
Tessellation in Euclidean plane geometry
Describe a hyperboloid in 3D geometry
What is a sphericon?
Discuss the peculiarities of Borel’s paradox
Analyze the De Finetti theorem in statistics
What are Martingales?
The basics of stochastic calculus

Applied Math Research Topics

Interested in writing about applied mathematics? Our team managed to create a list of awesome applied math research topics from scratch for you:

Discuss Newton’s laws of motion
Analyze the perpendicular axes rule
How is a Galilean transformation done?
The conservation of energy and its applications
Discuss Liouville’s theorem in Hamiltonian mechanics
Analyze the quantum field theory
Discuss the main components of the Lorentz symmetry
An in-depth look at the uncertainty principle

Geometry Topics for a Research Paper

Geometry can be a very captivating subject, especially when you know plenty about it. Check out our list of geometry topics for a research paper and pick the best one today:

Most useful trigonometry functions in math
The life of Archimedes and his achievements
Trigonometry in computer graphics
Using Vincenty’s formulae in geodesy
Define and describe the Heronian tetrahedron
The math behind the parabolic microphone
Discuss the Japanese theorem for concyclic polygons
Analyze Euler’s theorem in geometry

Math Research Topics for Middle School

Yes, even middle school children can write about mathematics. We have some original math research topics for middle school right here:

Finding critical points in a graph
The basics of calculus
What makes a graph ultrahomogeneous?
How do you calculate the area of different shapes?
What contributions did Euclid have to the field of mathematics?
What is Diophantine geometry?
What makes a graph regular?
Analyze a full binary tree

Math Research Topics for College Students

As you’ve probably already figured out, college students should pick topics that are a bit more complex. We have some of the best math research topics for college students right here:

What are extremal problems and how do you solve them?
Discuss an unsolvable math problem
How can supercomputers solve complex mathematical problems?
An in-depth analysis of fractals
Discuss the Boruvka’s algorithm (related to the minimum spanning tree)
Discuss the Lorentz–FitzGerald contraction hypothesis in relativity
An in-depth look at Einstein’s field equation
The math behind computer vision and object recognition

Calculus Topics for a Research Paper

Let’s face it: calculus is not a very difficult field. So, why don’t you pick one of our excellent calculus topics for a research paper and start writing your essay right away:

When do we need to apply the L’Hôpital rule?
Discuss the Leibniz integral rule
Calculus in ancient Egypt
Discuss and analyze linear approximations
The applications of calculus in real life
The many uses of Stokes’ theorem
Discuss the Borel regular measure
An in-depth analysis of Lebesgue’s monotone convergence theorem

Simple Math Research Paper Topics for High School

This is the place where you can find some pretty simple topics if you are a high school student. Check out our simple math research paper topics for high school:

The life and work of the famous Pierre de Fermat
What are limits and why are they useful in calculus?
Explain the concept of congruency
The life and work of the famous Jakob Bernoulli
Analyze the rhombicosidodecahedron and its applications
Calculus and the Egyptian pyramids
The life and work of the famous Jean d’Alembert
Discuss the hyperplane arrangement in combinatorial computational geometry
The smallest enclosing sphere method in combinatorics

Business Math Topics

If you want to surprise your professor, why don’t you write about business math? We have some exceptional topics that nobody has thought about right here:

Is paying a loan with another loan a good approach?
Discuss the major causes of a stock market crash
Best debt amortization methods in the US
How do bank loans work in the UK?
Calculating interest rates the easy way
Discuss the pros and cons of annuities
Basic business math skills everyone should possess
Business math in United States schools
Analyze the discount factor

Probability and Statistics Topics for Research

Probability and statistics are not easy fields. However, you can impress your professor with one of our unique probability and statistics topics for research:

What is the autoregressive conditional duration?
Applying the ANOVA method to ranks
Discuss the practical applications of the Bates distribution
Explain the principle of maximum entropy
Discuss Skorokhod’s representation theorem in random variables
What is the Factorial moment in the Theory of Probability?
Compare and contrast Cochran’s C test and his Q test
Analyze the De Moivre-Laplace theorem
What is a negative probability?

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Future themes of mathematics education research: an international survey before and during the pandemic

Open access
Published: 06 April 2021
Volume 107 , pages 1–24, ( 2021 )

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Arthur Bakker ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9604-3448 1 ,
Jinfa Cai ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0501-3826 2 &
Linda Zenger 1

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Before the pandemic (2019), we asked: On what themes should research in mathematics education focus in the coming decade? The 229 responses from 44 countries led to eight themes plus considerations about mathematics education research itself. The themes can be summarized as teaching approaches, goals, relations to practices outside mathematics education, teacher professional development, technology, affect, equity, and assessment. During the pandemic (November 2020), we asked respondents: Has the pandemic changed your view on the themes of mathematics education research for the coming decade? If so, how? Many of the 108 respondents saw the importance of their original themes reinforced (45), specified their initial responses (43), and/or added themes (35) (these categories were not mutually exclusive). Overall, they seemed to agree that the pandemic functions as a magnifying glass on issues that were already known, and several respondents pointed to the need to think ahead on how to organize education when it does not need to be online anymore. We end with a list of research challenges that are informed by the themes and respondents’ reflections on mathematics education research.

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1 An international survey in two rounds

Around the time when Educational Studies in Mathematics (ESM) and the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education (JRME) were celebrating their 50th anniversaries, Arthur Bakker (editor of ESM) and Jinfa Cai (editor of JRME) saw a need to raise the following future-oriented question for the field of mathematics education research:

Q2019: On what themes should research in mathematics education focus in the coming decade?

To that end, we administered a survey with just this one question between June 17 and October 16, 2019.

When we were almost ready with the analysis, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and we were not able to present the results at the conferences we had planned to attend (NCTM and ICME in 2020). Moreover, with the world shaken up by the crisis, we wondered if colleagues in our field might think differently about the themes formulated for the future due to the pandemic. Hence, on November 26, 2020, we asked a follow-up question to those respondents who in 2019 had given us permission to approach them for elaboration by email:

Q2020: Has the pandemic changed your view on the themes of mathematics education research for the coming decade? If so, how?

In this paper, we summarize the responses to these two questions. Similar to Sfard’s ( 2005 ) approach, we start by synthesizing the voices of the respondents before formulating our own views. Some colleagues put forward the idea of formulating a list of key themes or questions, similar to the 23 unsolved mathematical problems that David Hilbert published around 1900 (cf. Schoenfeld, 1999 ). However, mathematics and mathematics education are very different disciplines, and very few people share Hilbert’s formalist view on mathematics; hence, we do not want to suggest that we could capture the key themes of mathematics education in a similar way. Rather, our overview of themes drawn from the survey responses is intended to summarize what is valued in our global community at the time of the surveys. Reasoning from these themes, we end with a list of research challenges that we see worth addressing in the future (cf. Stephan et al., 2015 ).

2 Methodological approach

2.1 themes for the coming decade (2019).

We administered the 1-question survey through email lists that we were aware of (e.g., Becker, ICME, PME) and asked mathematics education researchers to spread it in their national networks. By October 16, 2019, we had received 229 responses from 44 countries across 6 continents (Table 1 ). Although we were happy with the larger response than Sfard ( 2005 ) received (74, with 28 from Europe), we do not know how well we have reached particular regions, and if potential respondents might have faced language or other barriers. We did offer a few Chinese respondents the option to write in Chinese because the second author offered to translate their emails into English. We also received responses in Spanish, which were translated for us.

Ethical approval was given by the Ethical Review Board of the Faculties of Science and Geo-science of Utrecht University (Bèta L-19247). We asked respondents to indicate if they were willing to be quoted by name and if we were allowed to approach them for subsequent information. If they preferred to be named, we mention their name and country; otherwise, we write “anonymous.” In our selection of quotes, we have focused on content, not on where the response came from. On March 2, 2021, we approached all respondents who were quoted to double-check if they agreed to be quoted and named. One colleague preferred the quote and name to be deleted; three suggested small changes in wording; the others approved.

On September 20, 2019, the three authors met physically at Utrecht University to analyze the responses. After each individual proposal, we settled on a joint list of seven main themes (the first seven in Table 2 ), which were neither mutually exclusive nor exhaustive. The third author (Zenger, then still a student in educational science) next color coded all parts of responses belonging to a category. These formed the basis for the frequencies and percentages presented in the tables and text. The first author (Bakker) then read all responses categorized by a particular code to identify and synthesize the main topics addressed within each code. The second author (Cai) read all of the survey responses and the response categories, and commented. After the initial round of analysis, we realized it was useful to add an eighth theme: assessment (including evaluation).

Moreover, given that a large number of respondents made comments about mathematics education research itself, we decided to summarize these separately. For analyzing this category of research, we used the following four labels to distinguish types of comments on our discipline of mathematics education research: theory, methodology, self-reflection (including ethical considerations), interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity. We then summarized the responses per type of comment.

It has been a daunting and humbling experience to study the huge coverage and diversity of topics that our colleagues care about. Any categorization felt like a reduction of the wealth of ideas, and we are aware of the risks of “sorting things out” (Bowker & Star, 2000 ), which come with foregrounding particular challenges rather than others (Stephan et al., 2015 ). Yet the best way to summarize the bigger picture seemed by means of clustering themes and pointing to their relationships. As we identified these eight themes of mathematics education research for the future, a recurring question during the analysis was how to represent them. A list such as Table 2 does not do justice to the interrelations between the themes. Some relationships are very clear, for example, educational approaches (theme 2) working toward educational or societal goals (theme 1). Some themes are pervasive; for example, equity and (positive) affect are both things that educators want to achieve but also phenomena that are at stake during every single moment of learning and teaching. Diagrams we considered to represent such interrelationships were either too specific (limiting the many relevant options, e.g., a star with eight vertices that only link pairs of themes) or not specific enough (e.g., a Venn diagram with eight leaves such as the iPhone symbol for photos). In the end, we decided to use an image and collaborated with Elisabeth Angerer (student assistant in an educational sciences program), who eventually made the drawing in Fig. 1 to capture themes in their relationships.

Artistic impression of the future themes

2.2 Has the pandemic changed your view? (2020)

On November 26, 2020, we sent an email to the colleagues who responded to the initial question and who gave permission to be approached by email. We cited their initial response and asked: “Has the pandemic changed your view on the themes of mathematics education research for the coming decade? If so, how?” We received 108 responses by January 12, 2021. The countries from which the responses came included China, Italy, and other places that were hit early by the COVID-19 virus. The length of responses varied from a single word response (“no”) to elaborate texts of up to 2215 words. Some people attached relevant publications. The median length of the responses was 87 words, with a mean length of 148 words and SD = 242. Zenger and Bakker classified them as “no changes” (9 responses) or “clearly different views” (8); the rest of the responses saw the importance of their initial themes reinforced (45), specified their initial responses (43), or added new questions or themes (35). These last categories were not mutually exclusive, because respondents could first state that they thought the initial themes were even more relevant than before and provide additional, more specified themes. We then used the same themes that had been identified in the first round and identified what was stressed or added in the 2020 responses.

3 The themes

The most frequently mentioned theme was what we labeled approaches to teaching (64% of the respondents, see Table 2 ). Next was the theme of goals of mathematics education on which research should shed more light in the coming decade (54%). These goals ranged from specific educational goals to very broad societal ones. Many colleagues referred to mathematics education’s relationships with other practices (communities, institutions…) such as home, continuing education, and work. Teacher professional development is a key area for research in which the other themes return (what should students learn, how, how to assess that, how to use technology and ensure that students are interested?). Technology constitutes its own theme but also plays a key role in many other themes, just like affect. Another theme permeating other ones is what can be summarized as equity, diversity, and inclusion (also social justice, anti-racism, democratic values, and several other values were mentioned). These values are not just societal and educational goals but also drivers for redesigning teaching approaches, using technology, working on more just assessment, and helping learners gain access, become confident, develop interest, or even love for mathematics. To evaluate if approaches are successful and if goals have been achieved, assessment (including evaluation) is also mentioned as a key topic of research.

In the 2020 responses, many wise and general remarks were made. The general gist is that the pandemic (like earlier crises such as the economic crisis around 2008–2010) functioned as a magnifying glass on themes that were already considered important. Due to the pandemic, however, systemic societal and educational problems were said to have become better visible to a wider community, and urge us to think about the potential of a “new normal.”

3.1 Approaches to teaching

We distinguish specific teaching strategies from broader curricular topics.

3.1.1 Teaching strategies

There is a widely recognized need to further design and evaluate various teaching approaches. Among the teaching strategies and types of learning to be promoted that were mentioned in the survey responses are collaborative learning, critical mathematics education, dialogic teaching, modeling, personalized learning, problem-based learning, cross-curricular themes addressing the bigger themes in the world, embodied design, visualization, and interleaved learning. Note, however, that students can also enhance their mathematical knowledge independently from teachers or parents through web tutorials and YouTube videos.

Many respondents emphasized that teaching approaches should do more than promote cognitive development. How can teaching be entertaining or engaging? How can it contribute to the broader educational goals of developing students’ identity, contribute to their empowerment, and help them see the value of mathematics in their everyday life and work? We return to affect in Section 3.7 .

In the 2020 responses, we saw more emphasis on approaches that address modeling, critical thinking, and mathematical or statistical literacy. Moreover, respondents stressed the importance of promoting interaction, collaboration, and higher order thinking, which are generally considered to be more challenging in distance education. One approach worth highlighting is challenge-based education (cf. Johnson et al. 2009 ), because it takes big societal challenges as mentioned in the previous section as its motivation and orientation.

3.1.2 Curriculum

Approaches by which mathematics education can contribute to the aforementioned goals can be distinguished at various levels. Several respondents mentioned challenges around developing a coherent mathematics curriculum, smoothing transitions to higher school levels, and balancing topics, and also the typical overload of topics, the influence of assessment on what is taught, and what teachers can teach. For example, it was mentioned that mathematics teachers are often not prepared to teach statistics. There seems to be little research that helps curriculum authors tackle some of these hard questions as well as how to monitor reform (cf. Shimizu & Vithal, 2019 ). Textbook analysis is mentioned as a necessary research endeavor. But even if curricula within one educational system are reasonably coherent, how can continuity between educational systems be ensured (cf. Jansen et al., 2012 )?

In the 2020 responses, some respondents called for free high-quality curriculum resources. In several countries where Internet access is a problem in rural areas, a shift can be observed from online resources to other types of media such as radio and TV.

3.2 Goals of mathematics education

The theme of approaches is closely linked to that of the theme of goals. For example, as Fulvia Furinghetti (Italy) wrote: “It is widely recognized that critical thinking is a fundamental goal in math teaching. Nevertheless it is still not clear how it is pursued in practice.” We distinguish broad societal and more specific educational goals. These are often related, as Jane Watson (Australia) wrote: “If Education is to solve the social, cultural, economic, and environmental problems of today’s data-driven world, attention must be given to preparing students to interpret the data that are presented to them in these fields.”

3.2.1 Societal goals

Respondents alluded to the need for students to learn to function in the economy and in society more broadly. Apart from instrumental goals of mathematics education, some emphasized goals related to developing as a human being, for instance learning to see the mathematics in the world and develop a relation with the world. Mathematics education in these views should empower students to combat anti-expertise and post-fact tendencies. Several respondents mentioned even larger societal goals such as avoiding extinction as a human species and toxic nationalism, resolving climate change, and building a sustainable future.

In the second round of responses (2020), we saw much more emphasis on these bigger societal issues. The urgency to orient mathematics education (and its research) toward resolving these seemed to be felt more than before. In short, it was stressed that our planet needs to be saved. The big question is what role mathematics education can play in meeting these challenges.

3.2.2 Educational goals

Several respondents expressed a concern that the current goals of mathematics education do not reflect humanity’s and societies’ needs and interests well. Educational goals to be stressed more were mathematical literacy, numeracy, critical, and creative thinking—often with reference to the changing world and the planet being at risk. In particular, the impact of technology was frequently stressed, as this may have an impact on what people need to learn (cf. Gravemeijer et al., 2017 ). If computers can do particular things much better than people, what is it that students need to learn?

Among the most frequently mentioned educational goals for mathematics education were statistical literacy, computational and algorithmic thinking, artificial intelligence, modeling, and data science. More generally, respondents expressed that mathematics education should help learners deploy evidence, reasoning, argumentation, and proof. For example, Michelle Stephan (USA) asked:

What mathematics content should be taught today to prepare students for jobs of the future, especially given growth of the digital world and its impact on a global economy? All of the mathematics content in K-12 can be accomplished by computers, so what mathematical procedures become less important and what domains need to be explored more fully (e.g., statistics and big data, spatial geometry, functional reasoning, etc.)?

One challenge for research is that there is no clear methodology to arrive at relevant and feasible learning goals. Yet there is a need to choose and formulate such goals on the basis of research (cf. Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, 2005 ).

Several of the 2020 responses mentioned the sometimes problematic way in which numbers, data, and graphs are used in the public sphere (e.g., Ernest, 2020 ; Kwon et al., 2021 ; Yoon et al., 2021 ). Many respondents saw their emphasis on relevant educational goals reinforced, for example, statistical and data literacy, modeling, critical thinking, and public communication. A few pandemic-specific topics were mentioned, such as exponential growth.

3.3 Relation of mathematics education to other practices

Many responses can be characterized as highlighting boundary crossing (Akkerman & Bakker, 2011 ) with disciplines or communities outside mathematics education, such as in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics education (STEM or STEAM); parents or families; the workplace; and leisure (e.g., drama, music, sports). An interesting example was the educational potential of mathematical memes—“humorous digital objects created by web users copying an existing image and overlaying a personal caption” (Bini et al., 2020 , p. 2). These boundary crossing-related responses thus emphasize the movements and connections between mathematics education and other practices.

In the 2020 responses, we saw that during the pandemic, the relationship between school and home has become much more important, because most students were (and perhaps still are) learning at home. Earlier research on parental involvement and homework (Civil & Bernier, 2006 ; de Abreu et al., 2006 ; Jackson, 2011 ) proves relevant in the current situation where many countries are still or again in lockdown. Respondents pointed to the need to monitor students and their work and to promote self-regulation. They also put more stress on the political, economic, and financial contexts in which mathematics education functions (or malfunctions, in many respondents’ views).

3.4 Teacher professional development

Respondents explicitly mentioned teacher professional development as an important domain of mathematics education research (including teacher educators’ development). For example, Loide Kapenda (Namibia) wrote, “I am supporting UNESCO whose idea is to focus on how we prepare teachers for the future we want.” (e.g., UNESCO, 2015 ) And, Francisco Rojas (Chile) wrote:

Although the field of mathematics education is broad and each time faced with new challenges (socio-political demands, new intercultural contexts, digital environments, etc.), all of them will be handled at school by the mathematics teacher, both in primary as well as in secondary education. Therefore, from my point of view, pre-service teacher education is one of the most relevant fields of research for the next decade, especially in developing countries.

It is evident from the responses that teaching mathematics is done by a large variety of people, not only by people who are trained as primary school teachers, secondary school mathematics teachers, or mathematicians but also parents, out-of-field teachers, and scientists whose primary discipline is not mathematics but who do use mathematics or statistics. How teachers of mathematics are trained varies accordingly. Respondents frequently pointed to the importance of subject-matter knowledge and particularly noted that many teachers seem ill-prepared to teach statistics (e.g., Lonneke Boels, the Netherlands).

Key questions were raised by several colleagues: “How to train mathematics teachers with a solid foundation in mathematics, positive attitudes towards mathematics teaching and learning, and wide knowledge base linking to STEM?” (anonymous); “What professional development, particularly at the post-secondary level, motivates changes in teaching practices in order to provide students the opportunities to engage with mathematics and be successful?” (Laura Watkins, USA); “How can mathematics educators equip students for sustainable, equitable citizenship? And how can mathematics education equip teachers to support students in this?” (David Wagner, Canada)

In the 2020 responses, it was clear that teachers are incredibly important, especially in the pandemic era. The sudden change to online teaching means that

higher requirements are put forward for teachers’ educational and teaching ability, especially the ability to carry out education and teaching by using information technology should be strengthened. Secondly, teachers’ ability to communicate and cooperate has been injected with new connotation. (Guangming Wang, China)

It is broadly assumed that education will stay partly online, though more so in higher levels of education than in primary education. This has implications for teachers, for instance, they will have to think through how they intend to coordinate teaching on location and online. Hence, one important focus for professional development is the use of technology.

3.5 Technology

Technology deserves to be called a theme in itself, but we want to emphasize that it ran through most of the other themes. First of all, some respondents argued that, due to technological advances in society, the societal and educational goals of mathematics education need to be changed (e.g., computational thinking to ensure employability in a technological society). Second, responses indicated that the changed goals have implications for the approaches in mathematics education. Consider the required curriculum reform and the digital tools to be used in it. Students do not only need to learn to use technology; the technology can also be used to learn mathematics (e.g., visualization, embodied design, statistical thinking). New technologies such as 3D printing, photo math, and augmented and virtual reality offer new opportunities for learning. Society has changed very fast in this respect. Third, technology is suggested to assist in establishing connections with other practices , such as between school and home, or vocational education and work, even though there is a great disparity in how successful these connections are.

In the 2020 responses, there was great concern about the current digital divide (cf. Hodgen et al., 2020 ). The COVID-19 pandemic has thus given cause for mathematics education research to understand better how connections across educational and other practices can be improved with the help of technology. Given the unequal distribution of help by parents or guardians, it becomes all the more important to think through how teachers can use videos and quizzes, how they can monitor their students, how they can assess them (while respecting privacy), and how one can compensate for the lack of social, gestural, and embodied interaction that is possible when being together physically.

Where mobile technology was considered very innovative before 2010, smartphones have become central devices in mathematics education in the pandemic with its reliance on distance learning. Our direct experience showed that phone applications such as WhatsApp and WeChat have become key tools in teaching and learning mathematics in many rural areas in various continents where few people have computers (for a report on podcasts distributed through WhatsApp, community loudspeakers, and local radio stations in Colombia, see Saenz et al., 2020 ).

3.6 Equity, diversity, and inclusion

Another cross-cutting theme can be labeled “equity, diversity, and inclusion.” We use this triplet to cover any topic that highlights these and related human values such as equality, social and racial justice, social emancipation, and democracy that were also mentioned by respondents (cf. Dobie & Sherin, 2021 ). In terms of educational goals , many respondents stressed that mathematics education should be for all students, including those who have special needs, who live in poverty, who are learning the instruction language, who have a migration background, who consider themselves LGBTQ+, have a traumatic or violent history, or are in whatever way marginalized. There is broad consensus that everyone should have access to high-quality mathematics education. However, as Niral Shah (USA) notes, less attention has been paid to “how phenomena related to social markers (e.g., race, class, gender) interact with phenomena related to the teaching and learning of mathematical content.”

In terms of teaching approaches , mathematics education is characterized by some respondents from particular countries as predominantly a white space where some groups feel or are excluded (cf. Battey, 2013 ). There is a general concern that current practices of teaching mathematics may perpetuate inequality, in particular in the current pandemic. In terms of assessment , mathematics is too often used or experienced as a gatekeeper rather than as a powerful resource (cf. Martin et al., 2010 ). Steve Lerman (UK) “indicates that understanding how educational opportunities are distributed inequitably, and in particular how that manifests in each end every classroom, is a prerequisite to making changes that can make some impact on redistribution.” A key research aim therefore is to understand what excludes students from learning mathematics and what would make mathematics education more inclusive (cf. Roos, 2019 ). And, what does professional development of teachers that promotes equity look like?

In 2020, many respondents saw their emphasis on equity and related values reinforced in the current pandemic with its risks of a digital divide, unequal access to high-quality mathematics education, and unfair distribution of resources. A related future research theme is how the so-called widening achievement gaps can be remedied (cf. Bawa, 2020 ). However, warnings were also formulated that thinking in such deficit terms can perpetuate inequality (cf. Svensson et al., 2014 ). A question raised by Dor Abrahamson (USA) is, “What roles could digital technology play, and in what forms, in restoring justice and celebrating diversity?”

Though entangled with many other themes, affect is also worth highlighting as a theme in itself. We use the term affect in a very broad sense to point to psychological-social phenomena such as emotion, love, belief, attitudes, interest, curiosity, fun, engagement, joy, involvement, motivation, self-esteem, identity, anxiety, alienation, and feeling of safety (cf. Cobb et al., 2009 ; Darragh, 2016 ; Hannula, 2019 ; Schukajlow et al., 2017 ). Many respondents emphasized the importance of studying these constructs in relation to (and not separate from) what is characterized as cognition. Some respondents pointed out that affect is not just an individual but also a social phenomenon, just like learning (cf. Chronaki, 2019 ; de Freitas et al., 2019 ; Schindler & Bakker, 2020 ).

Among the educational goals of mathematics education, several participants mentioned the need to generate and foster interest in mathematics. In terms of approaches , much emphasis was put on the need to avoid anxiety and alienation and to engage students in mathematical activity.

In the 2020 responses, more emphasis was put on the concern about alienation, which seems to be of special concern when students are socially distanced from peers and teachers as to when teaching takes place only through technology . What was reiterated in the 2020 responses was the importance of students’ sense of belonging in a mathematics classroom (cf. Horn, 2017 )—a topic closely related to the theme of equity, diversity, and inclusion discussed before.

3.8 Assessment

Assessment and evaluation were not often mentioned explicitly, but they do not seem less important than the other related themes. A key challenge is to assess what we value rather than valuing what we assess. In previous research, the assessment of individual students has received much attention, but what seems to be neglected is the evaluation of curricula. As Chongyang Wang (China) wrote, “How to evaluate the curriculum reforms. When we pay much energy in reforming our education and curriculum, do we imagine how to ensure it will work and there will be pieces of evidence found after the new curricula are carried out? How to prove the reforms work and matter?” (cf. Shimizu & Vithal, 2019 )

In the 2020 responses, there was an emphasis on assessment at a distance. Distance education generally is faced with the challenge of evaluating student work, both formatively and summatively. We predict that so-called e-assessment, along with its privacy challenges, will generate much research interest in the near future (cf. Bickerton & Sangwin, 2020 ).

4 Mathematics education research itself

Although we only asked for future themes, many respondents made interesting comments about research in mathematics education and its connections with other disciplines and practices (such as educational practice, policy, home settings). We have grouped these considerations under the subheadings of theory, methodology, reflection on our discipline, and interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity. As with the previous categorization into themes, we stress that these four types are not mutually exclusive as theoretical and methodological considerations can be intricately intertwined (Radford, 2008 ).

Several respondents expressed their concern about the fragmentation and diversity of theories used in mathematics education research (cf. Bikner-Ahsbahs & Prediger, 2014 ). The question was raised how mathematics educators can “work together to obtain valid, reliable, replicable, and useful findings in our field” and “How, as a discipline, can we encourage sustained research on core questions using commensurable perspectives and methods?” (Keith Weber, USA). One wish was “comparing theoretical perspectives for explanatory power” (K. Subramaniam, India). At the same time, it was stressed that “we cannot continue to pretend that there is just one culture in the field of mathematics education, that all the theoretical framework may be applied in whichever culture and that results are universal” (Mariolina Bartolini Bussi, Italy). In addition, the wish was expressed to deepen theoretical notions such as numeracy, equity, and justice as they play out in mathematics education.

4.2 Methodology

Many methodological approaches were mentioned as potentially useful in mathematics education research: randomized studies, experimental studies, replication, case studies, and so forth. Particular attention was paid to “complementary methodologies that bridge the ‘gap’ between mathematics education research and research on mathematical cognition” (Christian Bokhove, UK), as, for example, done in Gilmore et al. ( 2018 ). Also, approaches were mentioned that intend to bridge the so-called gap between educational practice and research, such as lesson study and design research. For example, Kay Owens (Australia) pointed to the challenge of studying cultural context and identity: “Such research requires a multi-faceted research methodology that may need to be further teased out from our current qualitative (e.g., ethnographic) and quantitative approaches (‘paper and pencil’ (including computing) testing). Design research may provide further possibilities.”

Francisco Rojas (Chile) highlighted the need for more longitudinal and cross-sectional research, in particular in the context of teacher professional development:

It is not enough to investigate what happens in pre-service teacher education but understand what effects this training has in the first years of the professional career of the new teachers of mathematics, both in primary and secondary education. Therefore, increasingly more longitudinal and cross-sectional studies will be required to understand the complexity of the practice of mathematics teachers, how the professional knowledge that articulates the practice evolves, and what effects have the practice of teachers on the students’ learning of mathematics.

4.3 Reflection on our discipline

Calls were made for critical reflection on our discipline. One anonymous appeal was for more self-criticism and scientific modesty: Is research delivering, or is it drawing away good teachers from teaching? Do we do research primarily to help improve mathematics education or to better understand phenomena? (cf. Proulx & Maheux, 2019 ) The general gist of the responses was a sincere wish to be of value to the world and mathematics education more specifically and not only do “research for the sake of research” (Zahra Gooya, Iran). David Bowers (USA) expressed several reflection-inviting views about the nature of our discipline, for example:

We must normalize (and expect) the full taking up the philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of all of our work (even work that is not considered “philosophical”). Not doing so leads to uncritical analysis and implications.

We must develop norms wherein it is considered embarrassing to do “uncritical” research.

There is no such thing as “neutral.” Amongst other things, this means that we should be cultivating norms that recognize the inherent political nature of all work, and norms that acknowledge how superficially “neutral” work tends to empower the oppressor.

We must recognize the existence of but not cater to the fragility of privilege.

In terms of what is studied, some respondents felt that the mathematics education research “literature has been moving away from the original goals of mathematics education. We seem to have been investigating everything but the actual learning of important mathematics topics.” (Lyn English, Australia) In terms of the nature of our discipline, Taro Fujita (UK) argued that our discipline can be characterized as a design science, with designing mathematical learning environments as the core of research activities (cf. Wittmann, 1995 ).

A tension that we observe in different views is the following: On the one hand, mathematics education research has its origin in helping teachers teach particular content better. The need for such so-called didactical, topic-specific research is not less important today but perhaps less fashionable for funding schemes that promote innovative, ground-breaking research. On the other hand, over time it has become clear that mathematics education is a multi-faceted socio-cultural and political endeavor under the influence of many local and global powers. It is therefore not surprising that the field of mathematics education research has expanded so as to include an increasingly wide scope of themes that are at stake, such as the marginalization of particular groups. We therefore highlight Niral Shah’s (USA) response that “historically, these domains of research [content-specific vs socio-political] have been decoupled. The field would get closer to understanding the experiences of minoritized students if we could connect these lines of inquiry.”

Another interesting reflective theme was raised by Nouzha El Yacoubi (Morocco): To what extent can we transpose “research questions from developed to developing countries”? As members of the plenary panel at PME 2019 (e.g., Kazima, 2019 ; Kim, 2019 ; Li, 2019 ) conveyed well, adopting interventions that were successful in one place in another place is far from trivial (cf. Gorard, 2020 ).

Juan L. Piñeiro (Spain in 2019, Chile in 2020) highlighted that “mathematical concepts and processes have different natures. Therefore, can it be characterized using the same theoretical and methodological tools?” More generally, one may ask if our theories and methodologies—often borrowed from other disciplines—are well suited to the ontology of our own discipline. A discussion started by Niss ( 2019 ) on the nature of our discipline, responded to by Bakker ( 2019 ) and Cai and Hwang ( 2019 ), seems worth continuing.

An important question raised in several comments is how close research should be to existing curricula. One respondent (Benjamin Rott, Germany) noted that research on problem posing often does “not fit into school curricula.” This makes the application of research ideas and findings problematic. However, one could argue that research need not always be tied to existing (local) educational contexts. It can also be inspirational, seeking principles of what is possible (and how) with a longer-term view on how curricula may change in the future. One option is, as Simon Zell (Germany) suggests, to test designs that cover a longer timeframe than typically done. Another way to bridge these two extremes is “collaboration between teachers and researchers in designing and publishing research” (K. Subramaniam, India) as is promoted by facilitating teachers to do PhD research (Bakx et al., 2016 ).

One of the responding teacher-researchers (Lonneke Boels, the Netherlands) expressed the wish that research would become available “in a more accessible form.” This wish raises the more general questions of whose responsibility it is to do such translation work and how to communicate with non-researchers. Do we need a particular type of communication research within mathematics education to learn how to convey particular key ideas or solid findings? (cf. Bosch et al., 2017 )

4.4 Interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity

Many respondents mentioned disciplines which mathematics education research can learn from or should collaborate with (cf. Suazo-Flores et al., 2021 ). Examples are history, mathematics, philosophy, psychology, psychometry, pedagogy, educational science, value education (social, emotional), race theory, urban education, neuroscience/brain research, cognitive science, and computer science didactics. “A big challenge here is how to make diverse experts approach and talk to one another in a productive way.” (David Gómez, Chile)

One of the most frequently mentioned disciplines in relation to our field is history. It is a common complaint in, for instance, the history of medicine that historians accuse medical experts of not knowing historical research and that medical experts accuse historians of not understanding the medical discipline well enough (Beckers & Beckers, 2019 ). This tension raises the question who does and should do research into the history of mathematics or of mathematics education and to what broader purpose.

Some responses go beyond interdisciplinarity, because resolving the bigger issues such as climate change and a more equitable society require collaboration with non-researchers (transdisciplinarity). A typical example is the involvement of educational practice and policy when improving mathematics education (e.g., Potari et al., 2019 ).

Let us end this section with a word of hope, from an anonymous respondent: “I still believe (or hope?) that the pandemic, with this making-inequities-explicit, would help mathematics educators to look at persistent and systemic inequalities more consistently in the coming years.” Having learned so much in the past year could indeed provide an opportunity to establish a more equitable “new normal,” rather than a reversion to the old normal, which one reviewer worried about.

5 The themes in their coherence: an artistic impression

As described above, we identified eight themes of mathematics education research for the future, which we discussed one by one. The disadvantage of this list-wise discussion is that the entanglement of the themes is backgrounded. To compensate for that drawback, we here render a brief interpretation of the drawing of Fig. 1 . While doing so, we invite readers to use their own creative imagination and perhaps use the drawing for other purposes (e.g., ask researchers, students, or teachers: Where would you like to be in this landscape? What mathematical ideas do you spot?). The drawing mainly focuses on the themes that emerged from the first round of responses but also hints at experiences from the time of the pandemic, for instance distance education. In Appendix 1 , we specify more of the details in the drawing and we provide a link to an annotated image (available at https://www.fisme.science.uu.nl/toepassingen/28937/ ).

The boat on the river aims to represent teaching approaches. The hand drawing of the boat hints at the importance of educational design: A particular approach is being worked out. On the boat, a teacher and students work together toward educational and societal goals, further down the river. The graduation bridge is an intermediate educational goal to pass, after which there are many paths leading to other goals such as higher education, citizenship, and work in society. Relations to practices outside mathematics education are also shown. In the left bottom corner, the house and parents working and playing with children represent the link of education with the home situation and leisure activity.

The teacher, represented by the captain in the foreground of the ship, is engaged in professional development, consulting a book, but also learning by doing (cf. Bakkenes et al., 2010 , on experimenting, using resources, etc.). Apart from graduation, there are other types of goals for teachers and students alike, such as equity, positive affect, and fluent use of technology. During their journey (and partially at home, shown in the left bottom corner), students learn to orient themselves in the world mathematically (e.g., fractal tree, elliptical lake, a parabolic mountain, and various platonic solids). On their way toward various goals, both teacher and students use particular technology (e.g., compass, binoculars, tablet, laptop). The magnifying glass (representing research) zooms in on a laptop screen that portrays distance education, hinting at the consensus that the pandemic magnifies some issues that education was already facing (e.g., the digital divide).

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are represented with the rainbow, overarching everything. On the boat, students are treated equally and the sailing practice is inclusive in the sense that all perform at their own level—getting the support they need while contributing meaningfully to the shared activity. This is at least what we read into the image. Affect is visible in various ways. First of all, the weather represents moods in general (rainy and dark side on the left; sunny bright side on the right). Second, the individual students (e.g., in the crow’s nest) are interested in, anxious about, and attentive to the things coming up during their journey. They are motivated to engage in all kinds of tasks (handling the sails, playing a game of chance with a die, standing guard in the crow’s nest, etc.). On the bridge, the graduates’ pride and happiness hints at positive affect as an educational goal but also represents the exam part of the assessment. The assessment also happens in terms of checks and feedback on the boat. The two people next to the house (one with a camera, one measuring) can be seen as assessors or researchers observing and evaluating the progress on the ship or the ship’s progress.

More generally, the three types of boats in the drawing represent three different spaces, which Hannah Arendt ( 1958 ) would characterize as private (paper-folded boat near the boy and a small toy boat next to the girl with her father at home), public/political (ships at the horizon), and the in-between space of education (the boat with the teacher and students). The students and teacher on the boat illustrate school as a special pedagogic form. Masschelein and Simons ( 2019 ) argue that the ancient Greek idea behind school (σχολή, scholè , free time) is that students should all be treated as equal and should all get equal opportunities. At school, their descent does not matter. At school, there is time to study, to make mistakes, without having to work for a living. At school, they learn to collaborate with others from diverse backgrounds, in preparation for future life in the public space. One challenge of the lockdown situation as a consequence of the pandemic is how to organize this in-between space in a way that upholds its special pedagogic form.

6 Research challenges

Based on the eight themes and considerations about mathematics education research itself, we formulate a set of research challenges that strike us as deserving further discussion (cf. Stephan et al., 2015 ). We do not intend to suggest these are more important than others or that some other themes are less worthy of investigation, nor do we suggest that they entail a research agenda (cf. English, 2008 ).

6.1 Aligning new goals, curricula, and teaching approaches

There seems to be relatively little attention within mathematics education research for curricular issues, including topics such as learning goals, curriculum standards, syllabi, learning progressions, textbook analysis, curricular coherence, and alignment with other curricula. Yet we feel that we as mathematics education researchers should care about these topics as they may not necessarily be covered by other disciplines. For example, judging from Deng’s ( 2018 ) complaint about the trends in the discipline of curriculum studies, we cannot assume scholars in that field to address issues specific to the mathematics-focused curriculum (e.g., the Journal of Curriculum Studies and Curriculum Inquiry have published only a limited number of studies on mathematics curricula).

Learning goals form an important element of curricula or standards. It is relatively easy to formulate important goals in general terms (e.g., critical thinking or problem solving). As a specific example, consider mathematical problem posing (Cai & Leikin, 2020 ), which curriculum standards have specifically pointed out as an important educational goal—developing students’ problem-posing skills. Students should be provided opportunities to formulate their own problems based on situations. However, there are few problem-posing activities in current mathematics textbooks and classroom instruction (Cai & Jiang, 2017 ). A similar observation can be made about problem solving in Dutch primary textbooks (Kolovou et al., 2009 ). Hence, there is a need for researchers and educators to align problem posing in curriculum standards, textbooks, classroom instruction, and students’ learning.

The challenge we see for mathematics education researchers is to collaborate with scholars from other disciplines (interdisciplinarity) and with non-researchers (transdisciplinarity) in figuring out how the desired societal and educational goals can be shaped in mathematics education. Our discipline has developed several methodological approaches that may help in formulating learning goals and accompanying teaching approaches (cf. Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, 2005 ), including epistemological analyses (Sierpinska, 1990 ), historical and didactical phenomenology (Bakker & Gravemeijer, 2006 ; Freudenthal, 1986 ), and workplace studies (Bessot & Ridgway, 2000 ; Hoyles et al., 2001 ). However, how should the outcomes of such research approaches be weighed against each other and combined to formulate learning goals for a balanced, coherent curriculum? What is the role of mathematics education researchers in relation to teachers, policymakers, and other stakeholders (Potari et al., 2019 )? In our discipline, we seem to lack a research-informed way of arriving at the formulation of suitable educational goals without overloading the curricula.

6.2 Researching mathematics education across contexts

Though methodologically and theoretically challenging, it is of great importance to study learning and teaching mathematics across contexts. After all, students do not just learn at school; they can also participate in informal settings (Nemirovsky et al., 2017 ), online forums, or affinity networks (Ito et al., 2018 ) where they may share for instance mathematical memes (Bini et al., 2020 ). Moreover, teachers are not the only ones teaching mathematics: Private tutors, friends, parents, siblings, or other relatives can also be involved in helping children with their mathematics. Mathematics learning could also be situated on streets or in museums, homes, and other informal settings. This was already acknowledged before 2020, but the pandemic has scattered learners and teachers away from the typical central school locations and thus shifted the distribution of labor.

In particular, physical and virtual spaces of learning have been reconfigured due to the pandemic. Issues of timing also work differently online, for example, if students can watch online lectures or videos whenever they like (asynchronously). Such reconfigurations of space and time also have an effect on the rhythm of education and hence on people’s energy levels (cf. Lefebvre, 2004 ). More specifically, the reconfiguration of the situation has affected many students’ levels of motivation and concentration (e.g., Meeter et al., 2020 ). As Engelbrecht et al. ( 2020 ) acknowledged, the pandemic has drastically changed the teaching and learning model as we knew it. It is quite possible that some existing theories about teaching and learning no longer apply in the same way. An interesting question is whether and how existing theoretical frameworks can be adjusted or whether new theoretical orientations need to be developed to better understand and promote productive ways of blended or online teaching, across contexts.

6.3 Focusing teacher professional development

Professional development of teachers and teacher educators stands out from the survey as being in need of serious investment. How can teachers be prepared for the unpredictable, both in terms of beliefs and actions? During the pandemic, teachers have been under enormous pressure to make quick decisions in redesigning their courses, to learn to use new technological tools, to invent creative ways of assessment, and to do what was within their capacity to provide opportunities to their students for learning mathematics—even if technological tools were limited (e.g., if students had little or no computer or internet access at home). The pressure required both emotional adaption and instructional adjustment. Teachers quickly needed to find useful information, which raises questions about the accessibility of research insights. Given the new situation, limited resources, and the uncertain unfolding of education after lockdowns, focusing teacher professional development on necessary and useful topics will need much attention. In particular, there is a need for longitudinal studies to investigate how teachers’ learning actually affects teachers’ classroom instruction and students’ learning.

In the surveys, respondents mainly referred to teachers as K-12 school mathematics teachers, but some also stressed the importance of mathematics teacher educators (MTEs). In addition to conducting research in mathematics education, MTEs are acting in both the role of teacher educators and of mathematics teachers. There has been increased research on MTEs as requiring professional development (Goos & Beswick, 2021 ). Within the field of mathematics education, there is an emerging need and interest in how mathematics teacher educators themselves learn and develop. In fact, the changing situation also provides an opportunity to scrutinize our habitual ways of thinking and become aware of what Jullien ( 2018 ) calls the “un-thought”: What is it that we as educators and researchers have not seen or thought about so much about that the sudden reconfiguration of education forces us to reflect upon?

6.4 Using low-tech resources

Particular strands of research focus on innovative tools and their applications in education, even if they are at the time too expensive (even too labor intensive) to use at large scale. Such future-oriented studies can be very interesting given the rapid advances in technology and attractive to funding bodies focusing on innovation. Digital technology has become ubiquitous, both in schools and in everyday life, and there is already a significant body of work capitalizing on aspects of technology for research and practice in mathematics education.

However, as Cai et al. ( 2020 ) indicated, technology advances so quickly that addressing research problems may not depend so much on developing a new technological capability as on helping researchers and practitioners learn about new technologies and imagine effective ways to use them. Moreover, given the millions of students in rural areas who during the pandemic have only had access to low-tech resources such as podcasts, radio, TV, and perhaps WhatsApp through their parents’ phones, we would like to see more research on what learning, teaching, and assessing mathematics through limited tools such as Whatsapp or WeChat look like and how they can be improved. In fact, in China, a series of WeChat-based mini-lessons has been developed and delivered through the WeChat video function during the pandemic. Even when the pandemic is under control, mini-lessons are still developed and circulated through WeChat. We therefore think it is important to study the use and influence of low-tech resources in mathematics education.

6.5 Staying in touch online

With the majority of students learning at home, a major ongoing challenge for everyone has been how to stay in touch with each other and with mathematics. With less social interaction, without joint attention in the same physical space and at the same time, and with the collective only mediated by technology, becoming and staying motivated to learn has been a widely felt challenge. It is generally expected that in the higher levels of education, more blended or distant learning elements will be built into education. Careful research on the affective, embodied, and collective aspects of learning and teaching mathematics is required to overcome eventually the distance and alienation so widely experienced in online education. That is, we not only need to rethink social interactions between students and/or teachers in different settings but must also rethink how to engage and motivate students in online settings.

6.6 Studying and improving equity without perpetuating inequality

Several colleagues have warned, for a long time, that one risk of studying achievement gaps, differences between majority and minority groups, and so forth can also perpetuate inequity. Admittedly, pinpointing injustice and the need to invest in particular less privileged parts of education is necessary to redirect policymakers’ and teachers’ attention and gain funding. However, how can one reorient resources without stigmatizing? For example, Svensson et al. ( 2014 ) pointed out that research findings can fuel political debates about groups of people (e.g., parents with a migration background), who then may feel insecure about their own capacities. A challenge that we see is to identify and understand problematic situations without legitimizing problematic stereotyping (Hilt, 2015 ).

Furthermore, the field of mathematics education research does not have a consistent conceptualization of equity. There also seem to be regional differences: It struck us that equity is the more common term in the responses from the Americas, whereas inclusion and diversity were more often mentioned in the European responses. Future research will need to focus on both the conceptualization of equity and on improving equity and related values such as inclusion.

6.7 Assessing online

A key challenge is how to assess online and to do so more effectively. This challenge is related to both privacy, ethics, and performance issues. It is clear that online assessment may have significant advantages to assess student mathematics learning, such as more flexibility in test-taking and fast scoring. However, many teachers have faced privacy concerns, and we also have the impression that in an online environment it is even more challenging to successfully assess what we value rather than merely assessing what is relatively easy to assess. In particular, we need to systematically investigate any possible effect of administering assessments online as researchers have found a differential effect of online assessment versus paper-and-pencil assessment (Backes & Cowan, 2019 ). What further deserves careful ethical attention is what happens to learning analytics data that can and are collected when students work online.

6.8 Doing and publishing interdisciplinary research

When analyzing the responses, we were struck by a discrepancy between what respondents care about and what is typically researched and published in our monodisciplinary journals. Most of the challenges mentioned in this section require interdisciplinary or even transdisciplinary approaches (see also Burkhardt, 2019 ).

An overarching key question is: What role does mathematics education research play in addressing the bigger and more general challenges mentioned by our respondents? The importance of interdisciplinarity also raises a question about the scope of journals that focus on mathematics education research. Do we need to broaden the scope of monodisciplinary journals so that they can publish important research that combines mathematics education research with another disciplinary perspective? As editors, we see a place for interdisciplinary studies as long as there is one strong anchor in mathematics education research. In fact, there are many researchers who do not identify themselves as mathematics education researchers but who are currently doing high-quality work related to mathematics education in fields such as educational psychology and the cognitive and learning sciences. Encouraging the reporting of high-quality mathematics education research from a broader spectrum of researchers would serve to increase the impact of the mathematics education research journals in the wider educational arena. This, in turn, would serve to encourage further collaboration around mathematics education issues from various disciplines. Ultimately, mathematics education research journals could act as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration to address the pressing questions of how mathematics is learned and taught.

7 Concluding remarks

In this paper, based on a survey conducted before and during the pandemic, we have examined how scholars in the field of mathematics education view the future of mathematics education research. On the one hand, there are no major surprises about the areas we need to focus on in the future; the themes are not new. On the other hand, the responses also show that the areas we have highlighted still persist and need further investigation (cf. OECD, 2020 ). But, there are a few areas, based on both the responses of the scholars and our own discussions and views, that stand out as requiring more attention. For example, we hope that these survey results will serve as propelling conversation about mathematics education research regarding online assessment and pedagogical considerations for virtual teaching.

The survey results are limited in two ways. The set of respondents to the survey is probably not representative of all mathematics education researchers in the world. In that regard, perhaps scholars in each country could use the same survey questions to survey representative samples within each country to understand how the scholars in that country view future research with respect to regional needs. The second limitation is related to the fact that mathematics education is a very culturally dependent field. Cultural differences in the teaching and learning of mathematics are well documented. Given the small numbers of responses from some continents, we did not break down the analysis for regional comparison. Representative samples from each country would help us see how scholars from different countries view research in mathematics education; they will add another layer of insights about mathematics education research to complement the results of the survey presented here. Nevertheless, we sincerely hope that the findings from the surveys will serve as a discussion point for the field of mathematics education to pursue continuous improvement.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Anna Sfard for her advice on the survey, based on her own survey published in Sfard ( 2005 ). We are grateful for Stephen Hwang’s careful copyediting for an earlier version of the manuscript. Thanks also to Elisabeth Angerer, Elske de Waal, Paul Ernest, Vilma Mesa, Michelle Stephan, David Wagner, and anonymous reviewers for their feedback on earlier drafts.

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Appendix 1: Explanation of Fig. 1

We have divided Fig. 1 in 12 rectangles called A1 (bottom left) up to C4 (top right) to explain the details (for image annotation go to https://www.fisme.science.uu.nl/toepassingen/28937 )

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Bakker, A., Cai, J. & Zenger, L. Future themes of mathematics education research: an international survey before and during the pandemic. Educ Stud Math 107 , 1–24 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-021-10049-w

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The Different Math Topics Kids Learn About in Elementary School

6 minutes reading time

01. Elementary math topics
02. Ways to teach Elementary Math Topics
03. Motivating children to study math

When parents put their child on the big yellow bus for the first time it can really be an emotional moment.

They know they are off to school for the first time when they reach kindergarten and they are off to learn on their own for the very first time.

Their time as a baby is effectively over and now they have (small) responsibilities in regards to their academics as well as making friends.

Teachers have the responsibility to teach these students the basics from teaching them the alphabet to how to spell their name and more concepts.

Then of course early on students begin to learn that very tricky subject, math .

Elementary school mathematics may seem very easy nowadays when you are in your adult years, however when you think back, many of us adults had trouble with math back in elementary school.

Many young children don't have as much confidence with math as they do with other subjects, math eventually becomes quite tricky as the different topics appear that require more thinking and studying.

Even early on some students can have difficulty with the more simple topics and concepts.

Math certainly isn't the easiest subject in school and probably many will say it isn't the most fun either.

However, a good educator whether a teacher or private tutor should be able to motivate students to get them to learn elementary school math in a fun and interesting way .

There are plenty of ways to motivate children, preparing lessons for your students will be important when it comes time to teach them and motivate them to learn mathematics.

However to be able to prepare you'll have to understand how to explain and teach the different elementary math topics they are going to be learning while they are studying in school.

$Sofia$

Elementary math topics

Nowadays elementary math topics could be quite different in some ways from what was taught ten or twenty years ago in school.

However, the basic stuff is more or less the same.

You have the typical topics:

Subtraction

Multiplication.

Younger students in kindergarten and first grade need to learn the really basic stuff like counting and counting money and other very easy mathematical concepts.

The students who are in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades need to learn more advanced topics, like fractions and decimals .

If you are planning to tutor math then having a complete understanding of these should be a piece of cake!

What may not be so simple is how exactly you teach these topics, as it can be difficult for students to comprehend these topics at a young age, then of course there is the problem of them becoming bored or frustrated.

So you need to prepare and have a good idea of how to teach students these different topics as well as a way to keep them motivated to keep learning and improving their mathematical skills.

Ways to teach Elementary Math Topics

Children in general, are really excited about learning and love to do a good job, math is one of the more frustrating subjects so if students can get the concepts of the different math topics pretty quickly they'll become more and more excited about math. To supplement classroom lessons, parents are also encouraged to involve their children in interactive activities at home. For instance, they can play math learning games for kindergarten on educational websites or apps which make learning more fun and engaging.

With that attitude, they can really give it their all in math when they eventually get to middle school, high school, and then college.

People who have studied majors in the field of mathematics tend to have really good chances of finding a job, a really good job, and pretty quickly.

So it will be important for elementary school students to get the hang of math early on and give them a chance to fall in love with the subject as much as possible.

The best way for that to happen is to have a good teacher and even a good private tutor to teach them the different mathematical topics they are going to learn in school.

The first math topic students will learn after they have learned how to count is addition. If you are going to teach children addition you will use their background information on counting to make it happen.

For teaching addition, the best ways will be to start by:

Reviewing how to count
Start using visuals
Work with a number line
Start counting up

It takes time for children to fully get the hang of it but there are plenty of ways to teach these methods in a fun and interesting way using games and other activities.

Once you start to revise how to count, using visuals apart from just using fingers and toes will be a huge help, then present numbers on a number line, and then once they get the hang of it they can start to use tricks like pointing out how far a number is away from the number 10.

For example, if 12 is 2 away from 10 you need to add 2 more to one of the numbers in your math problem.

Then comes learning subtraction after addition. Around second grade is when students really start to learn the topic.

Subtraction actually can be easier for students to learn than addition, as you can use the knowledge from addition to teaching subtraction.

If 9 + 4 = 13, then shouldn't 13 - 4 = 9?

Of course, as with any child, visuals work great when you are trying to hammer home a concept.

Make sure you use charts and tables to show how subtraction works and students can understand the topic even faster.

Multiplication can be a really big jump from addition and subtraction. Around third or fourth grade is when students start to learn multiplication.

First things first if you want to teach multiplication, visuals once again will be your friend .

You can use bottle caps, checkers, whatever you need to put things into three groups of four, for example, that shows three times four. In that way, students can begin to learn multiplication very quickly.

Then start to teach skip counting, skip counting is a way that shows how multiplication can be a fast way to count numbers. For example:

4 plus 4 equals 8 so 2 fours is eight, and so four times two equals eight.

Little by little students will begin to understand the concept, especially once you highlight more and more how grouped numbers add up to a solution.

Teaching division to an elementary school student is another elementary math topic that can be a bit difficult to explain at times, but once a student gets the hang of it they'll be off and running.

Use visuals to show and real-life topics to show students how to divide.

For example, if there are eight cookies and four children how many cookies does each child get.

The answer is obviously two, in that way visuals and real-life scenarios play a huge role in teaching division.

Dividing by two and five at the beginning of the learning process also makes it easy for students to grasp the topic.

Motivating children to study math

Convincing young elementary school students to fall in love with math isn't that easy of a task, however, it isn't impossible to motivate them to do the best they can and keep improving. So what are some ways that children can become motivated by math?

Find a private math tutor

Having your children or students work with a private tutor is a fantastic way to get them motivated to study math. That is because of a few different reasons.

Tutors are great because they can work really closely with students who need that special attention if they are struggling with math as well as make math fun.

Tutors usually will have a whole arsenal of games and fun activities to keep students interested in studying math with them.

Probably the best platform in the United States for finding one of these tutors as Superprof.

How is Superprof special?

Experienced math tutors
Online and in-person classes
Many different tutors to choose from

Different math games and camps

There are plenty of games and projects that students can learn while having fun. Any teacher who is really motivated to teach their students math will use these ideas to help students stay motivated.

Don't forget about math camps that will connect students with math teachers and older students that can teach them math in a fun way.

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8 Genius Research Projects for K–2 Students You Will Definitely Want to Try

Turn your K–2 students into researchers and detectives with these fun classroom projects.

PebbleGo is the award-winning database for reading and research for K-2. It makes learning fun while improving reading and research skills. Learn more about the six different databases—Animals, Science, Biographies, Dinosaurs, Social Studies and the Spanish-language Animals.

Research-based learning is often reserved for students in upper elementary or middle school, but this is a skill that kids can and do learn at an early age. Yes, you can teach kindergarteners how to do proper research (i.e. be awesome detectives and readers) .

Here are eight inspiring research projects on subjects common for the K–2 age group. For each one, we give tips for LEARNING about the specific subject first with key research questions and tasks. Then, we offer a creative project idea, inspired by teachers and educators around the country, for DOING with your students.

1. The World of Bugs

7 Genius Research Projects for PreK-3 Students You Will Definitely Want to Try

SOURCE: Plain Vanilla Mom

It’s a big, enormous world out there—and there are lots of bugs in it. This is a good one to start with if you’re teaching young elementary students how to research. Spiders, insects, and bugs will forever be fascinating subjects for kids. So this project should generate a lot of excitement.

LEARNING: Assign each of your students a different bug and have them answer very simple questions like: How many legs do they have? Where can you find them? How big are they?

DOING: This bug fossil activity is fantastic! All you need is modeling clay, plastic insects (which you can get at the dollar store), a magnifying glass, and tweezers or tongs. Your students will love making the little molds, and it will really encourage them to pay attention to detail!

2. Money, Money, Money

Source: 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Understanding the value of a dollar, counting, and even doing small math problems with money are all skills that your students will be doing for years to come. Here’s how you can get them going on concepts now.

LEARNING: Start with the basics and make sure your students know the value of each bill and coin. Once they understand this, talk to them about earning money, saving, and even the purpose of banks.

DOING: Get inspired by this money minibook. Either download a free one (see link above) or create your own version to meet your classroom needs. Create several books for your class or one for each student as a quick reference to help them really understand the value of money.

3. History and Fame

Source: Let’s Explore

Every grade level has history and biographies as part of its curriculum. It’s essential for students to learn about historymakers, inventors, artists, and other important people of the past, and there are lots of fun ways to do this.

LEARNING: The research comes first, so it’s a good idea to assign a famous person to each of your students. Have them do a little biography, answering questions like: When were they born? Why are they famous? Where did they live?

DOING: Now it’s time for the fun part, where students get to be creative in reporting their results. Some teachers have the students get up in front of the class to present on their specific person, while others make it an art project. We love biography poster collages, like the one pictured above, because they really encourage students to focus on the most essential biographical facts.

4. Learning Plant Life Cycle

Source: The Imagination Tree

Learning about plant life is always a popular classroom activity. It’s such a great opportunity to show students how things grow, and help them understand where their food comes from.

LEARNING: Students can research farming and agriculture, and learn about where food comes from, both locally and around the world. Discover where tropical fruits like bananas and pineapple come from compared to crops in the United States like corn, potatoes, and beans. Help students understand that all plants have a similar start like the beans you will grow in class.

DOING: Plant your bean plants in a clear container like a jar. You can use paper towel or cotton balls for the planting so students will be able to see the roots grow and develop. Have students track the plant’s progress. They can measure it, take photos, or draw pictures every few days. Your students will love seeing how it changes so quickly.

5. Animal Tracks

Source: Green Kids Crafts

Animals are such a big interest area for younger elementary students, and they make lessons instantly more popular. This really useful lesson covers animals, human anatomy, and animal habitats.

LEARNING: When your class studies animal tracks, students can learn a lot about animals. For instance, they can learn about an animal’s size. They can also compare the size of the animal track to their own handprints or footprints for an anatomy lesson. And students can learn about animal habitats, too! We can help our students understand how all of these items are connected.

DOING: Now that your students have learned about animal tracks, have them recreate the tracks using cardboard scraps and sponges. This will give them a real idea of the actual size and shape of different tracks in the wild.

6. Digging into Dinosaurs

Source: Inquiring Minds

Even though they’re now extinct, dinosaurs remain some of the most popular animals with kids. Once you get your students researching, they can learn so much about these magnificent animals that came before us.

LEARNING: Help your students define the words “paleontology” and “paleontologist.” Next, encourage your kids to research different types of dinosaurs. Have them answer questions like: What were some of the big ones? Which ones could fly? What did different types of dinosaurs eat? These will all be important questions to answer before you dive into a project.

DOING: You can steal the sponge idea mentioned above to also create dinosaur tracks. Or for the ambitious teacher, create your very own giant dinosaur skeleton. This teacher outlined the shape for her students and then let them use packing peanuts and empty cardboard tubes to fill the inside.

7. Environment and Pollution

Source: The Owl Teacher

Whether you’re looking for a good Earth Day activity or you just want to teach your students more about environmental issues we are facing around the world, you can bring home the message by studying water pollution. This is a topic that affects millions every single day.

LEARNING: First, learn about the different types of pollution with your students. Air and water pollution are two big ones to start with. Help your kids learn the difference between these two and what they look like. Then ask them a question like, how could pollution affect animals, humans, and the future? Questions like this might seem too big for little minds, but they can handle it!

DOING: It really helps to see this lesson firsthand, and this Freddie the Fish activity is perfect. You’ll definitely want to see this teacher’s step-by-step instructions describing how she did it, but the basics involve a fish-shaped sponge, plastic containers, and adding different toxins to the water. Your students will really start to see how a little bit of water pollution can really get out of hand quickly.

8. Color Mixing

Source: Preschool Inspirations

Color mixing is always a popular activity, and it’s great for hands-on research. Your students will love being in charge of the colors and watching them change before their eyes.

LEARNING: Talk to your students about primary colors and go over the basics of what happens when you blend colors together. Depending on age, talk to them about why this happens and/or what they are seeing. Work with them to come up with a list or anchor chart about the most common color combinations.

DOING: There are so many great color-mixing activities out there, including mixing colorful ice cubes or having a color mixing station in the classroom. We also love this project from Preschool Inspirations, where they make sensory bottles with color mixing.

Make research for your K–2 students easier by using PebbleGo , a reading and research database specifically targeting younger elementary students.

Collage of Letter Naming Fluency Activities

20 Activities to Support Letter Naming Fluency

Super fun ways to practice, practice, practice! Continue Reading

Our Mission

How to Make Math Concepts Feel Relevant to Students

Helping high school students understand that math has useful applications in their lives can boost their engagement in learning.

Middle school students working in small group

In a world of classifying shapes, analyzing graphs, and solving for x , it can be difficult for students to connect to and engage in their mathematics courses. This is particularly true as students reach higher levels of mathematics, where the real-world aspects seem harder to grasp. While there are many pedagogical approaches that help increase engagement in the learning in the classroom, students—and teachers—find it increasingly difficult to make math class feel relevant to their lives.

This disconnect to the content often leads to disconnect in the classroom. Enter the four spheres of relevance: self, community, culture, and the “real” world. Each of these spheres connects content to students on various levels and can be integrated into nearly any component of a math curriculum, from note-taking to practice problems to project-based learning . Planning with these four lenses in mind helps teachers connect with their students and helps students connect with mathematics.

Connect to Self-Relevance

The innermost circle of relevance is that in which the students find personal connections to the mathematics they are studying. In this sphere, teachers are planning to incorporate student interests and aspirations into their lessons. Simple strategies include replacing a standard word problem from your curriculum with one that connects to your students.

For example, when studying quadratic equations, my text posed a problem where students had to determine the height of a ball that a juggler was tossing using the quadratic formula. Instead, I tapped into my students’ recent interest in playing with kendamas and simply changed the wording in the problem. When students worked through the problem with me, they instantly perked up and even modeled how the kendama worked so that we could connect the parabolic motion to the graph.

Connect to the Community

Outside of themselves, students are often interested in and invested in happenings of their community. From their school district community to their community at large, there are often events taking place or problems to be solved that apply mathematics being taught at all levels. Connecting mathematics topics with community events and needs doesn’t have to be a daunting task. In fact, many communities have local officials, from business bureaus to government agencies, who are happy to support educators in finding solutions to real problems posed to the community. If getting in touch with a community expert isn’t possible, you can always check your local news or connect with a regularly scheduled local event.

Where I live, a local kite festival celebrating National Kite Month served as a catalyst for designing projects to use with my students. What better way to introduce students to properties of quadrilaterals than for them to build their own kite to bring to the festival? Or students in trigonometry can practice measuring the height of the highest-flying kite using a simple clinometer and some basic trig calculations. Students studying statistics can help collect and analyze water samples looking at trends in particulates, microbead pollution, or chemical composition, or look for trends in the county based on the most recent census data.

Getting students involved in their community helps them to see how mathematics has underlying currents in the real world in a way that is more accessible and real to the students themselves.

Connect to Culture

Creating culturally relevant connections and experiences for our students doesn’t simply lie in the hands of our social studies teachers. Mathematics teachers everywhere can create a culturally responsive curriculum to connect their students to the world around them on a broader level. This may mean tying content to social justice issues in our culture, tapping into current trends in pop culture, or connecting to the familial or ancestral cultures represented within your student body.

Algebra can track the probability of getting the next Wordle right in one try, geometry students may look to global cultures to see how transformations and symmetry exist in artwork around the world, and personal finance students may look into data about poverty and the unhoused population in their city. Connecting to students on a cultural level is a great way to help students expand their views on mathematics.

Find Real-World Relevance

The pinnacle of helping students find relevance in math class is helping them answer the question “When am I ever going to need this?” which is often asked as a means of saying, “Where in the real world does this math actually matter?” As the mathematics they study gets more abstract, the answers to who and what uses that math in “the real world” can diverge from your students and their interests and aspirations for their own futures. Of course, if your students have aspirations in careers that can connect to math, then you can absolutely draw out those connections. However, instead of relying on responding only with jobs that use mathematics, think about these features of real-world relevance:

How does the skill (not necessarily the content) they are learning connect to skills needed in a variety of contexts beyond high school?
What natural phenomena are modeled or studied using the content?

Students may never need to create polynomial function models in their future lives, but being able to analyze a graph of a polynomial function enables students to better understand data represented graphically and can help give them better insight into reviewing stock market trends, for example. Similarly, students may not need to use logarithmic functions in their future, but they can connect logarithms to the Richter scale to understand its importance in analyzing earthquakes.

When designing your next unit , make sure to take into account the four spheres of relevance and how you can make tweaks to your existing plans to ensure that you are connecting with your students on all four levels.

251+ Math Research Topics [2024 Updated]

$Math research topics$

Mathematics, often dubbed as the language of the universe, holds immense significance in shaping our understanding of the world around us. It’s not just about crunching numbers or solving equations; it’s about unraveling mysteries, making predictions, and creating innovative solutions to complex problems. In this blog, we embark on a journey into the realm of math research topics, exploring various branches of mathematics and their real-world applications.

How Do You Write A Math Research Topic?

Writing a math research topic involves several steps to ensure clarity, relevance, and feasibility. Here’s a guide to help you craft a compelling math research topic:

Identify Your Interests: Start by exploring areas of mathematics that interest you. Whether it’s pure mathematics, applied mathematics, or interdisciplinary topics, choose a field that aligns with your passion and expertise.
Narrow Down Your Focus: Mathematics is a broad field, so it’s essential to narrow down your focus to a specific area or problem. Consider the scope of your research and choose a topic that is manageable within your resources and time frame.
Review Existing Literature: Conduct a thorough literature review to understand the current state of research in your chosen area. Identify gaps, controversies, or unanswered questions that could form the basis of your research topic.
Formulate a Research Question: Based on your exploration and literature review, formulate a clear and concise research question. Your research question should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
Consider Feasibility: Assess the feasibility of your research topic in terms of available resources, data availability, and research methodologies. Ensure that your topic is realistic and achievable within the constraints of your project.
Consult with Experts: Seek feedback from mentors, advisors, or experts in the field to validate your research topic and refine your ideas. Their insights can help you identify potential challenges and opportunities for improvement.
Refine and Iterate: Refine your research topic based on feedback and further reflection. Iterate on your ideas to ensure clarity, coherence, and relevance to the broader context of mathematics research.
Craft a Title: Once you have finalized your research topic, craft a compelling title that succinctly summarizes the essence of your research. Your title should be descriptive, engaging, and reflective of the key themes of your study.
Write a Research Proposal: Develop a comprehensive research proposal outlining the background, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes of your research. Your research proposal should provide a clear roadmap for your study and justify the significance of your research topic.

By following these steps, you can effectively write a math research topic that is well-defined, relevant, and poised to make a meaningful contribution to the field of mathematics.

251+ Math Research Topics: Beginners To Advanced

Prime Number Distribution in Arithmetic Progressions
Diophantine Equations and their Solutions
Applications of Modular Arithmetic in Cryptography
The Riemann Hypothesis and its Implications
Graph Theory: Exploring Connectivity and Coloring Problems
Knot Theory: Unraveling the Mathematics of Knots and Links
Fractal Geometry: Understanding Self-Similarity and Dimensionality
Differential Equations: Modeling Physical Phenomena and Dynamical Systems
Chaos Theory: Investigating Deterministic Chaos and Strange Attractors
Combinatorial Optimization: Algorithms for Solving Optimization Problems
Computational Complexity: Analyzing the Complexity of Algorithms
Game Theory: Mathematical Models of Strategic Interactions
Number Theory: Exploring Properties of Integers and Primes
Algebraic Topology: Studying Topological Invariants and Homotopy Theory
Analytic Number Theory: Investigating Properties of Prime Numbers
Algebraic Geometry: Geometry Arising from Algebraic Equations
Galois Theory: Understanding Field Extensions and Solvability of Equations
Representation Theory: Studying Symmetry in Linear Spaces
Harmonic Analysis: Analyzing Functions on Groups and Manifolds
Mathematical Logic: Foundations of Mathematics and Formal Systems
Set Theory: Exploring Infinite Sets and Cardinal Numbers
Real Analysis: Rigorous Study of Real Numbers and Functions
Complex Analysis: Analytic Functions and Complex Integration
Measure Theory: Foundations of Lebesgue Integration and Probability
Topological Groups: Investigating Topological Structures on Groups
Lie Groups and Lie Algebras: Geometry of Continuous Symmetry
Differential Geometry: Curvature and Topology of Smooth Manifolds
Algebraic Combinatorics: Enumerative and Algebraic Aspects of Combinatorics
Ramsey Theory: Investigating Structure in Large Discrete Structures
Analytic Geometry: Studying Geometry Using Analytic Methods
Hyperbolic Geometry: Non-Euclidean Geometry of Curved Spaces
Nonlinear Dynamics: Chaos, Bifurcations, and Strange Attractors
Homological Algebra: Studying Homology and Cohomology of Algebraic Structures
Topological Vector Spaces: Vector Spaces with Topological Structure
Representation Theory of Finite Groups: Decomposition of Group Representations
Category Theory: Abstract Structures and Universal Properties
Operator Theory: Spectral Theory and Functional Analysis of Operators
Algebraic Number Theory: Study of Algebraic Structures in Number Fields
Cryptanalysis: Breaking Cryptographic Systems Using Mathematical Methods
Discrete Mathematics: Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Number Theory
Mathematical Biology: Modeling Biological Systems Using Mathematical Tools
Population Dynamics: Mathematical Models of Population Growth and Interaction
Epidemiology: Mathematical Modeling of Disease Spread and Control
Mathematical Ecology: Dynamics of Ecological Systems and Food Webs
Evolutionary Game Theory: Evolutionary Dynamics and Strategic Behavior
Mathematical Neuroscience: Modeling Brain Dynamics and Neural Networks
Mathematical Physics: Mathematical Models in Physical Sciences
Quantum Mechanics: Foundations and Applications of Quantum Theory
Statistical Mechanics: Statistical Methods in Physics and Thermodynamics
Fluid Dynamics: Modeling Flow of Fluids Using Partial Differential Equations
Mathematical Finance: Stochastic Models in Finance and Risk Management
Option Pricing Models: Black-Scholes Model and Beyond
Portfolio Optimization: Maximizing Returns and Minimizing Risk
Stochastic Calculus: Calculus of Stochastic Processes and Itô Calculus
Financial Time Series Analysis: Modeling and Forecasting Financial Data
Operations Research: Optimization of Decision-Making Processes
Linear Programming: Optimization Problems with Linear Constraints
Integer Programming: Optimization Problems with Integer Solutions
Network Flow Optimization: Modeling and Solving Flow Network Problems
Combinatorial Game Theory: Analysis of Games with Perfect Information
Algorithmic Game Theory: Computational Aspects of Game-Theoretic Problems
Fair Division: Methods for Fairly Allocating Resources Among Parties
Auction Theory: Modeling Auction Mechanisms and Bidding Strategies
Voting Theory: Mathematical Models of Voting Systems and Social Choice
Social Network Analysis: Mathematical Analysis of Social Networks
Algorithm Analysis: Complexity Analysis of Algorithms and Data Structures
Machine Learning: Statistical Learning Algorithms and Data Mining
Deep Learning: Neural Network Models with Multiple Layers
Reinforcement Learning: Learning by Interaction and Feedback
Natural Language Processing: Statistical and Computational Analysis of Language
Computer Vision: Mathematical Models for Image Analysis and Recognition
Computational Geometry: Algorithms for Geometric Problems
Symbolic Computation: Manipulation of Mathematical Expressions
Numerical Analysis: Algorithms for Solving Numerical Problems
Finite Element Method: Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations
Monte Carlo Methods: Statistical Simulation Techniques
High-Performance Computing: Parallel and Distributed Computing Techniques
Quantum Computing: Quantum Algorithms and Quantum Information Theory
Quantum Information Theory: Study of Quantum Communication and Computation
Quantum Error Correction: Methods for Protecting Quantum Information from Errors
Topological Quantum Computing: Using Topological Properties for Quantum Computation
Quantum Algorithms: Efficient Algorithms for Quantum Computers
Quantum Cryptography: Secure Communication Using Quantum Key Distribution
Topological Data Analysis: Analyzing Shape and Structure of Data Sets
Persistent Homology: Topological Invariants for Data Analysis
Mapper Algorithm: Method for Visualization and Analysis of High-Dimensional Data
Algebraic Statistics: Statistical Methods Based on Algebraic Geometry
Tropical Geometry: Geometric Methods for Studying Polynomial Equations
Model Theory: Study of Mathematical Structures and Their Interpretations
Descriptive Set Theory: Study of Borel and Analytic Sets
Ergodic Theory: Study of Measure-Preserving Transformations
Combinatorial Number Theory: Intersection of Combinatorics and Number Theory
Additive Combinatorics: Study of Additive Properties of Sets
Arithmetic Geometry: Interplay Between Number Theory and Algebraic Geometry
Proof Theory: Study of Formal Proofs and Logical Inference
Reverse Mathematics: Study of Logical Strength of Mathematical Theorems
Nonstandard Analysis: Alternative Approach to Analysis Using Infinitesimals
Computable Analysis: Study of Computable Functions and Real Numbers
Graph Theory: Study of Graphs and Networks
Random Graphs: Probabilistic Models of Graphs and Connectivity
Spectral Graph Theory: Analysis of Graphs Using Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
Algebraic Graph Theory: Study of Algebraic Structures in Graphs
Metric Geometry: Study of Geometric Structures Using Metrics
Geometric Measure Theory: Study of Measures on Geometric Spaces
Discrete Differential Geometry: Study of Differential Geometry on Discrete Spaces
Algebraic Coding Theory: Study of Error-Correcting Codes
Information Theory: Study of Information and Communication
Coding Theory: Study of Error-Correcting Codes
Cryptography: Study of Secure Communication and Encryption
Finite Fields: Study of Fields with Finite Number of Elements
Elliptic Curves: Study of Curves Defined by Cubic Equations
Hyperelliptic Curves: Study of Curves Defined by Higher-Degree Equations
Modular Forms: Analytic Functions with Certain Transformation Properties
L-functions: Analytic Functions Associated with Number Theory
Zeta Functions: Analytic Functions with Special Properties
Analytic Number Theory: Study of Number Theoretic Functions Using Analysis
Dirichlet Series: Analytic Functions Represented by Infinite Series
Euler Products: Product Representations of Analytic Functions
Arithmetic Dynamics: Study of Iterative Processes on Algebraic Structures
Dynamics of Rational Maps: Study of Dynamical Systems Defined by Rational Functions
Julia Sets: Fractal Sets Associated with Dynamical Systems
Mandelbrot Set: Fractal Set Associated with Iterations of Complex Quadratic Polynomials
Arithmetic Geometry: Study of Algebraic Geometry Over Number Fields
Diophantine Geometry: Study of Solutions of Diophantine Equations Using Geometry
Arithmetic of Elliptic Curves: Study of Elliptic Curves Over Number Fields
Rational Points on Curves: Study of Rational Solutions of Algebraic Equations
Galois Representations: Study of Representations of Galois Groups
Automorphic Forms: Analytic Functions with Certain Transformation Properties
L-functions: Analytic Functions Associated with Automorphic Forms
Selberg Trace Formula: Tool for Studying Spectral Theory and Automorphic Forms
Langlands Program: Program to Unify Number Theory and Representation Theory
Hodge Theory: Study of Harmonic Forms on Complex Manifolds
Riemann Surfaces: One-dimensional Complex Manifolds
Shimura Varieties: Algebraic Varieties Associated with Automorphic Forms
Modular Curves: Algebraic Curves Associated with Modular Forms
Hyperbolic Manifolds: Manifolds with Constant Negative Curvature
Teichmüller Theory: Study of Moduli Spaces of Riemann Surfaces
Mirror Symmetry: Duality Between Calabi-Yau Manifolds
Kähler Geometry: Study of Hermitian Manifolds with Special Symmetries
Algebraic Groups: Linear Algebraic Groups and Their Representations
Lie Algebras: Study of Algebraic Structures Arising from Lie Groups
Representation Theory of Lie Algebras: Study of Representations of Lie Algebras
Quantum Groups: Deformation of Lie Groups and Lie Algebras
Algebraic Topology: Study of Topological Spaces Using Algebraic Methods
Homotopy Theory: Study of Continuous Deformations of Spaces
Homology Theory: Study of Algebraic Invariants of Topological Spaces
Cohomology Theory: Study of Dual Concepts to Homology Theory
Singular Homology: Homology Theory Defined Using Simplicial Complexes
Sheaf Theory: Study of Sheaves and Their Cohomology
Differential Forms: Study of Multilinear Differential Forms
De Rham Cohomology: Cohomology Theory Defined Using Differential Forms
Morse Theory: Study of Critical Points of Smooth Functions
Symplectic Geometry: Study of Symplectic Manifolds and Their Geometry
Floer Homology: Study of Symplectic Manifolds Using Pseudoholomorphic Curves
Gromov-Witten Invariants: Invariants of Symplectic Manifolds Associated with Pseudoholomorphic Curves
Mirror Symmetry: Duality Between Symplectic and Complex Geometry
Calabi-Yau Manifolds: Ricci-Flat Complex Manifolds
Moduli Spaces: Spaces Parameterizing Geometric Objects
Donaldson-Thomas Invariants: Invariants Counting Sheaves on Calabi-Yau Manifolds
Algebraic K-Theory: Study of Algebraic Invariants of Rings and Modules
Homological Algebra: Study of Homology and Cohomology of Algebraic Structures
Derived Categories: Categories Arising from Homological Algebra
Stable Homotopy Theory: Homotopy Theory with Stable Homotopy Groups
Model Categories: Categories with Certain Homotopical Properties
Higher Category Theory: Study of Higher Categories and Homotopy Theory
Higher Topos Theory: Study of Higher Categorical Structures
Higher Algebra: Study of Higher Categorical Structures in Algebra
Higher Algebraic Geometry: Study of Higher Categorical Structures in Algebraic Geometry
Higher Representation Theory: Study of Higher Categorical Structures in Representation Theory
Higher Category Theory: Study of Higher Categorical Structures
Homotopical Algebra: Study of Algebraic Structures in Homotopy Theory
Homotopical Groups: Study of Groups with Homotopical Structure
Homotopical Categories: Study of Categories with Homotopical Structure
Homotopy Groups: Algebraic Invariants of Topological Spaces
Homotopy Type Theory: Study of Foundations of Mathematics Using Homotopy Theory

In conclusion, the world of mathematics is vast and multifaceted, offering endless opportunities for exploration and discovery. Whether delving into the abstract realms of pure mathematics or applying mathematical principles to solve real-world problems, mathematicians play a vital role in advancing human knowledge and shaping the future of our world.

By embracing diverse math research topics and interdisciplinary collaborations, we can unlock new possibilities and harness the power of mathematics to address the challenges of today and tomorrow. So, let’s embark on this journey together as we unravel the mysteries of numbers and explore the boundless horizons of mathematical inquiry.

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15 Best & Fun Math Projects for Students

$A child doing math problems$

Super Easy and Super Fun Math Project Ideas for Grade 1 Students

Exploratory ideas for math projects for grade 2 students, project-based learning math ideas for grade 3 students, math project-based learning ideas for grade 4 students, advanced math projects for students in grade 5, frequently asked questions (faqs).

Math projects for students are a great way to get kids interested in math . They can be used to teach new concepts, review old ones, or just provide some fun and engaging math practice. There are tons of great math projects out there, but we’ve compiled a list of fifteen easy and engaging math projects for elementary school students—the best of the best!

$Abacus with beads of different colors$

1. Scoop and Cone Matching Game

What you need:

Cones and scoops made from felt or cardstock
Marker or sketch pens

Description:

Write a number on the cone. Write different combinations of addition and subtraction equations to represent the number on the scoop.

Students have to solve the equations and match the correct scoop to the cone.

Skills Learned:

Addition, subtraction, and the concept of equations

2. More or Less Dot Games

Ten frame cards
A set of dots (or colorful buttons or plastic corks to use as dots)
A deck of cards

Give a student a card and add some dots to it. Ask them, “How many dots are there on the card?” Once students master this, you may ask them, “What number is one more/one less?” You can also give them two cards and ask which one has more or less dots.

For two or more students, card games are a gold mine! Take a deck of cards. Snip off their corners with numerals written on them. Place the cards with their face downward. Ask each student to turn up a card. Ask them to tell whose card is “more” or “less.” Each correct answer wins them a point!

Visualizing numbers, understanding the concept of more or less, comparing numbers, addition, and subtraction

3. Shape Graphs

Different geometric shapes in different colors and sizes
Graph papers with large rows and columns (with rows mentioning shape names and columns mentioning numbers)
Some crayons

Distribute some graph paper among the children. Spread out some shapes in front of them. They have to find out how many shapes of each type there are and color that many boxes of relevant columns.

Recognition of geometric shapes by their names, and understanding and representing data in pictorial form

$Drawing line on a sheet of paper with a ruler$

4. Elementary Architects

Instructions and photos of room designing projects
2-page student project sheet to promote reading in math
Note-taking forms
Sample blueprints for reference
Brainstorming sheet
Grid paper templates

Ask the students to design their rooms, calculate areas, and estimate flooring needs by reading the instructions, looking at the photos, and taking notes.

Students love to play architects. Allow them sufficient room for being creative to promote their spatial awareness.

Reading comprehension, estimation, area, and perimeter calculation

5. M&M’s Math Game

A box of colorful m&m’s
Graph papers for kids

Let your students dig into the box of m&m’s and take a few each. They have to count how many m&m’s of each color they got. If they count m&m’s of each color correctly, they can eat them! Otherwise, they have to return the m&m’s to the box and try again!

As they master their skills, you can take this math game to the next level. They can make a graph using graph paper and crayons! You may have to help them label the graph and the graphing part itself.

Counting, addition, making graphs

6. Hit a Home Run for Math Fact Fluency

DIY baseball game board with math facts
Number cards
Counters to use as baseball players—9 for each team

Write the numbers 1 to 9 in one row and 0 in the next row to make a baseball diamond.

Help your students write math facts such as doubles (2 + 2, 3 + 3, etc.), near doubles (9 + 8), addition/subtraction of 10 (8 + 2, 5 + 5), and related subtraction facts (7 – 3, 9 – 6) on the number cards.

To play, have each student roll two dice. They get to move one of their baseball players the number of spaces corresponding to the first die and then answer the math fact that corresponds to the number they landed on. If they answer correctly, they get to roll again. The first player to get three of their baseball players “home” wins!

Math facts fluency, addition, subtraction

$A tamarin monkey on a tree branch$

7. Place Value in the Wild Math Project

Digital and printable version of a student guide with detailed instructions and visuals
Student printables or digital recording sheets guiding students on how to select a habitat, research animals of that habitat, note sizes and lifespans of these animals, etc.

As third graders research animals as expedition scouts for Wildlife Explorers International, they learn about place values through various activities, such as representing numbers in different ways, comparing numbers, and estimating lengths, heights, and lifespans of animals.

You can ask students to use standard numbers, expanded forms, and word forms of numbers. They may also be introduced to decimals through this project.

Place value, estimation, decimals

8. The Time of Your Life

A printable or digital student guide with detailed instructions, visuals, and student printables
Analog and digital clocks (one per student pair)

In this project, students learn to read the time on both analog and digital clocks. They also practice setting the time on these clocks.

As they work in pairs, they take turns being the “teacher” and the “student.” The teacher explains to the student how to read the time on a clock. Then, the student sets the time on the clock according to the teacher’s instructions.

Or they tell how many seconds, minutes, or hours have elapsed in doing an activity.

It’s a great activity for third graders, where students can win prizes for being the best timekeepers!

Telling time, elapsed time

9. What’s Your Angle, Pythagoras?

A scorecard
Child-safe compass (optional)

Pythagorean principles are put to the test in this game! Players use a protractor and ruler (or child-safe compass) to draw angles and then measure the length of the sides of right triangles. The goal is to have the longest hypotenuse at the end of the game.

You can call out “Right-Angled Triangle” randomly, and the students have to arrange themselves in the shape in a flash. Those who do it correctly win!

You may also call out “Right Angle”, “Acute Angle”, or “Obtuse Angle” where students have to pair up instantly. If some fail to do it, they are out.

Angles, Pythagorean theorem

$Wooden desk calendar$

10. Calendar Math in the Classroom

A printable or digital calendar template

A perfect math review technique for fifth graders, calendar math is a great way to engage them in the concepts of days, weeks, months, and years. You have to display a calendar in the classroom and point out various aspects of it to the students. For example, you can ask them how many days there are in February, or how many months have 31 days, etc.

You can also use the calendar to teach place value. For instance, you can ask students to name the day on which their birthdays fall this year and write it down. Then, they can find out the day on which their birthdays will fall next year and so on.

This activity can be done with a physical calendar or a digital one. Students can use real-world objects like coins or candy to help them understand the concepts of place value, addition, and subtraction.

Days, weeks, months, years, place value, addition, subtraction

11. Run a Pizza Place

Pizza boxes or paper plates
Colorful cardboard pizzas

Bring fraction to life with this fun activity! Students run their own pizza place, where they take orders, make pizzas, and serve them to customers.

They can use play money to buy pizza toppings and then charge customers for their pizzas. They can also use fraction strips or circle fractions to create pizzas of different sizes.

Such math projects for students teach them concepts like halves, thirds, fourths, eighths, and more. And children will have a blast doing it!

Fractions, equivalent fractions, comparing fractions, adding and subtracting fractions

12. Hot Cocoa Project!

Hot cocoa stall
Marshmallows
Whipped cream (optional)
Chocolate shavings (optional)
Recipe book
Play money or real money

An excellent activity for young entrepreneurs (under adult supervision), this hot cocoa project simulates a hot cocoa stand. Students can make and sell hot cocoa to their classmates, using real or play money.

They can follow a recipe to make the hot cocoa mix, and then use it to make individual cups of hot cocoa. They can also add marshmallows, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings to their hot cocoa, and charge extra for these toppings.

This activity is a great way to teach children about money, measurement, and fractions. And they’ll love getting creative with the hot cocoa mix!

Money, measurement, fractions, addition, subtraction

$Children working on math project in class$

13. Performance Math Art

Props or costumes (optional)
A video recording device (such as a smartphone)

Divide students into groups of 2 to 4 and ask them to prepare a performance art (dramatic poetry, song, or a skit) to explain the Order of Operations (or any other mathematical concepts, such as area and perimeter, exponents and roots, or geometry).

After they have practiced, film their final performance. Students can watch the videos to revise the concept later.

Students may also review each other’s performance in terms of delivery, clarity, and creativity to give constructive feedback.

Order of operations, area and perimeter, exponents and roots, geometry

14. Probably Probability

DIY probability tables

An inspirational idea for kinesthetic learners, this activity gets students up and about as they experiment with probability.

Provide each student with a die (or multiple dice) and a coin. Ask them to roll the die (or dice), flip the coin, and record their results in a table. They can create their probability tables.

Once they have collected enough data, they can look for patterns and predict the probability of certain events.

Probability, independent and dependent events, expected values

15. The Theme Park Project

Theme Park templates (for guidance)
Construction paper
Glue or tape
Markers or crayons
Small toys (optional)

This project is perfect for a math class that is learning about geometry and measurement. Students will use their knowledge of shapes, angles, and measurements to create a mini theme park.

They can start by choosing a template (or creating their own) and then cutting out the shapes from construction paper. Once they have all the pieces, they can assemble their theme park and add details with markers or crayons.

They can also add small toys to their theme park if they wish. Finally, they can measure the area and perimeter of their creation.

Children can dream up new rides, give them outlandish names, create menus for concession stands, and research healthy and junk foods!

A lot of math happens in everyday life if we just look for it.

Geometry, measurement, area, perimeter

By working on these fun projects, students can learn and practice various math skills, from basic counting and graphing to more advanced concepts such as fractions and decimals. These math projects for students can be used to supplement your regular math curriculum or as a standalone activity. Either way, your students are sure to enjoy them!

How can I make sure my students are engaged in the project?

Make sure to give your students a chance to be creative and have fun with the projects. For example, with the “Theme Park Project,” encourage them to develop their own designs and be as creative as possible with the details. With the “Probably Probability” project, let them experiment with different ways of collecting data and see what patterns they can find.

Do I need to prepare anything in advance?

It largely depends on the project you choose. For some projects, you may want to prepare templates in advance. For others, such as the “Probably Probability” project, you only need dice and coins.

How long should the projects take?

Again, it depends on the project. Some math projects for students require several days to complete. Others can be done in one class period or a few minutes.

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About half of americans say public k-12 education is going in the wrong direction.

School buses arrive at an elementary school in Arlington, Virginia. (Chen Mengtong/China News Service via Getty Images)

About half of U.S. adults (51%) say the country’s public K-12 education system is generally going in the wrong direction. A far smaller share (16%) say it’s going in the right direction, and about a third (32%) are not sure, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in November 2023.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand how Americans view the K-12 public education system. We surveyed 5,029 U.S. adults from Nov. 9 to Nov. 16, 2023.

The survey was conducted by Ipsos for Pew Research Center on the Ipsos KnowledgePanel Omnibus. The KnowledgePanel is a probability-based web panel recruited primarily through national, random sampling of residential addresses. The survey is weighted by gender, age, race, ethnicity, education, income and other categories.

Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and the survey methodology .

A diverging bar chart showing that only 16% of Americans say public K-12 education is going in the right direction.

A majority of those who say it’s headed in the wrong direction say a major reason is that schools are not spending enough time on core academic subjects.

These findings come amid debates about what is taught in schools , as well as concerns about school budget cuts and students falling behind academically.

Related: Race and LGBTQ Issues in K-12 Schools

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say the public K-12 education system is going in the wrong direction. About two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (65%) say this, compared with 40% of Democrats and Democratic leaners. In turn, 23% of Democrats and 10% of Republicans say it’s headed in the right direction.

Among Republicans, conservatives are the most likely to say public education is headed in the wrong direction: 75% say this, compared with 52% of moderate or liberal Republicans. There are no significant differences among Democrats by ideology.

Similar shares of K-12 parents and adults who don’t have a child in K-12 schools say the system is going in the wrong direction.

A separate Center survey of public K-12 teachers found that 82% think the overall state of public K-12 education has gotten worse in the past five years. And many teachers are pessimistic about the future.

Related: What’s It Like To Be A Teacher in America Today?

Why do Americans think public K-12 education is going in the wrong direction?

We asked adults who say the public education system is going in the wrong direction why that might be. About half or more say the following are major reasons:

Schools not spending enough time on core academic subjects, like reading, math, science and social studies (69%)
Teachers bringing their personal political and social views into the classroom (54%)
Schools not having the funding and resources they need (52%)

About a quarter (26%) say a major reason is that parents have too much influence in decisions about what schools are teaching.

How views vary by party

A dot plot showing that Democrats and Republicans who say public education is going in the wrong direction give different explanations.

Americans in each party point to different reasons why public education is headed in the wrong direction.

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say major reasons are:

A lack of focus on core academic subjects (79% vs. 55%)
Teachers bringing their personal views into the classroom (76% vs. 23%)

A bar chart showing that views on why public education is headed in the wrong direction vary by political ideology.

In turn, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to point to:

Insufficient school funding and resources (78% vs. 33%)
Parents having too much say in what schools are teaching (46% vs. 13%)

Views also vary within each party by ideology.

Among Republicans, conservatives are particularly likely to cite a lack of focus on core academic subjects and teachers bringing their personal views into the classroom.

Among Democrats, liberals are especially likely to cite schools lacking resources and parents having too much say in the curriculum.

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and the survey methodology .

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Among many u.s. children, reading for fun has become less common, federal data shows, most european students learn english in school, for u.s. teens today, summer means more schooling and less leisure time than in the past, about one-in-six u.s. teachers work second jobs – and not just in the summer, most popular.

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

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This is a campuswide week of events, lectures, and volunteer opportunities designed to educate and inspire action related to environmental justice, climate, and nature-based solutions. This year’s theme is Restore & Regenerate.

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Campus & Community

Four Penn undergrads are 2024 Goldwater Scholars

Goldwater scholarships are awarded to students planning research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering..

Four University of Pennsylvania undergraduates have received 2024 Goldwater Scholarships , awarded to second- or third-year students planning research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.

Penn’s 2024 Goldwater Scholars are third-years Hayle Kim, Eric Myzelev, and Eric Tao in the College of Arts and Sciences , and Kaitlin Mrksich in the School of Engineering and Applied Science .

They are among the 438 students named 2024 Goldwater Scholars from 1,353 undergraduates students nominated by 446 academic institutions in the United States, according to the Barry Goldwater Scholarship & Excellence in Education Foundation . Each scholarship provides as much as $7,500 each year for as many as two years of undergraduate study.

The students applied for the Goldwater Scholarship with assistance from Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships . Penn has had 63 Goldwater Scholars named since Congress established the scholarship in 1986 to honor U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater.

Kim, from Knoxville, Tennessee, is majoring in neuroscience. She works in the lab of Matthew Kayser at Penn Medicine , where she studies the molecular basis of sleep maturation using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. At Penn, Kim is the co-founder and co-president of the undergraduate chapter of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association , and was the internal vice president of the Penn Korean Student Association . She is a teaching assistant for the course Chronobiology and Sleep taught by David Raizen , professor of neurology, and has been a learning assistant and peer tutor for general chemistry. Kim is a University Scholar and CURF Research Peer Advisor . She volunteers for the nonprofit One House at a Time in its Beds for Kids program, and in the emergency department of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia . After graduating, Kim plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in neuroscience.

Mrksich, from Hinsdale, Illinois, is majoring in bioengineering. She is interested in developing drug delivery systems that can serve as novel therapeutics for a variety of diseases. Mrksich works in the lab of Michael J. Mitchell where she investigates the ionizable lipid component of lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery. At Penn, Mrksich is the president of the Biomedical Engineering Society , where she plans community building and professional development events for bioengineering majors. She is a member of the Kite and Key Society , where she organizes virtual programming to introduce prospective students to Penn. She is a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, and the Sigma Kappa sorority. She also teaches chemistry to high schoolers as a volunteer in the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project through the Civic House . After graduating, Mrksich plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in bioengineering.

Myzelev, from Toronto, is majoring in mathematics, with a minor in computer and information science, and is submatriculating for a master’s degree. His research interests include algebra, combinatorics, and using deep learning to solve partial differential equations. Myzelev has worked on numerous research projects in combinatorics and deep learning, has both a co-authored publication and an accepted paper, and has presented his work at several international conferences. Myzelev has been a research assistant for Sasha Indarte , assistant professor of finance at the Wharton School, using recurrent neural networks to identify racial biases in personal bankruptcy outcomes, and he was an intern with the Penn Wharton Budget Model . He is a problem writer for the Canadian Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad and an event supervisor for Science Olympiad at Penn . After graduating, Myzelev plans to pursue a Ph.D. in math and research algebraic geometry and combinatorics.

Tao, from Wallingford, Pennsylvania, is majoring in cognitive science, mathematics, and logic, with a focus on language and the mind. They are interested in related fields including physics, linguistics, and logic. Tao studies the neuroscience of social behavior under Marc Schmidt , professor of biology, using multimodal mating displays in the brown-headed cowbird as a model system. Tao co-founded the Penn Math Contest to promote enthusiasm for mathematics among high schoolers, and volunteers with similar organizations such as Science Olympiad at Penn . Tao also works as a teaching assistant in Penn’s Mathematics Department . After graduating, Tao plans to pursue a graduate degree in computational neuroscience.

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Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

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In a study supported by a five-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Luis Leyva , associate professor of mathematics education and STEM higher education at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development , has made critical progress in research on racial equity for undergraduate Latin* students as mathematics learners and aspiring STEM majors. (Note: The term Latin* responds to (mis)use of Latinx as a gender-neutral term originally intended for explicit inclusion among gender nonconforming peoples of Latin American origin and descent. The asterisk in Latin∗ considers fluidity in gender identities across the Latin American diaspora.)

Leyva directs the P ower, R esistance & I dentity in S TE M Education (PRISM) Research Lab at Vanderbilt, which houses various research projects that build theory and inform practice about equitable educational opportunities in undergraduate STEM with specific attention to issues of intersectionality. Several projects focus on exploring racial and intersectional justice for undergraduate Latin* students as learners in mathematics classrooms and as aspiring STEM majors.

The most recent project is Transformative Inclusion in Postsecondary STEM (TIPS): Towards Justice . Now in its third year, TIPS examines educational practices across STEM departments at colleges and universities with a federal designation as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The project is a collaboration between Vanderbilt and Sonoma State University, an institution that recently received the HSI designation. Leyva serves as a co-principal investigator and directs educational research activities in TIPS.

Leyva and his team are engaged in a research-practice partnership with faculty in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at Sonoma State. The partnership’s goals are to characterize and develop practices that enhance racial equity to better serve undergraduate Latin* students. The TIPS research has focused on practices of classroom instruction and student support, specifically in courses that are gateways to mathematics and other STEM majors (e.g., calculus, introduction to proofs).

Latin* students in gateway mathematics courses at Sonoma State and the faculty who teach the courses are participants in the TIPS research study. Leyva and his team have collected various types of data about participants’ perspectives and experiences regarding what it means for Latin* students to be served as mathematics learners at HSIs. These data include interviews, classroom observations, and journaling. Using an intersectional lens, the team seeks to understand how race, gender, and other dimensions of social identity shape differences in how Latin* students experience supportive practices in mathematics.

Leyva has disseminated insights from preliminary analyses of TIPS research data at national conferences and invited lectures across the country. Notably, Leyva has published three conference proceeding papers . He also delivered presentations at the Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the James L. Curtis Institute for Race & Belonging at Albion College, where he was the Hispanic Heritage Month speaker for the college’s “Dimensions of Diversity” Lecture Series in 2023. Leyva was featured on an episode of the ¿ Qué Pasa, HSIs? podcast , which highlights educational research, practices, and policies for the advancement of racial equity at HSIs. The TIPS research team has also shared project analyses during the Department of Mathematics & Statistics’ colloquium series at Sonoma State.

Findings from the TIPS project’s single-institution case study in gateway mathematics courses at Sonoma State will guide next steps in the research process. Leyva and his team plan to examine the role that practices of racial equity played in Latin* students’ persistence as STEM majors. The team will also examine variation in the development of these equitable practices across different STEM departments with unique disciplinary cultures as well as different types of HSIs (e.g., two-year colleges, research-intensive universities). These contributions aim to enhance HSIs’ institutional missions of providing culturally-responsive learning opportunities, particularly through the robust transformation of organizational and pedagogical practices for the advancement of racial equity and intersectional justice in STEM departments.

“I am excited about next steps in our collaborative work through the TIPS project and future research that promotes justice in undergraduate STEM across intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and other minoritized social differences,” Leyva said.

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Math Topics For Elementary Students
210 Brilliant Math Research Topics and Ideas for Students
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210 Brilliant Math Research Topics and Ideas for Students
$math research topics for elementary students$
210 Brilliant Math Research Topics and Ideas for Students
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Elementary Education Research Paper Topics
This comprehensive guide to elementary education research paper topics is designed to assist students and researchers in the field of education. The guide provides a wide array of topics divided into ten categories, each with ten unique topics, offering a diverse range of areas to explore in the field of elementary education.
Topics for research studies in elementary school mathematics
Focus on research Len Pikaart Topics for research studies in elementary school mathematics C. ALAN RIEDESEL JL he past decade has been a time of un-precedented change in elementary school mathematics. During this period the think-ing of teachers, mathematics educators, and mathematicians was tapped to develop new mathematics programs for the ...
The Ultimate List of Interesting Research Topics for Kids
Teaching research skills is so important in elementary school. We can help our students navigate the "how-tos" of research. Learning how to navigate text features in nonfiction books, finding credible sources online, and taking notes are all skills we've mastered and can pass on to our knowledge-thirsty students.
181 Math Research Topics
If you are an undergraduate looking for some research topics for your next math paper, you will surely appreciate our list of interesting undergraduate math research topics: Methods to count discrete objects. The origins of Greek symbols in mathematics. Methods to solve simultaneous equations. Real-world applications of the theorem of Pythagoras.
PDF Bringing Math to Life: Provide Students Opportunities to Connect ...
Abstract. Math journals provide students with opportunities to articulate their understanding of math concepts and/or their frustrations with the gaps in those understandings. The use of these journals supports metacognitive thinking to enhance understanding and application.
Making Mathematics: Mathematics Research Teacher Handbook
Mathematics research influences student learning in a number of ways: Research provides students with an understanding of what it means to do mathematics and of mathematics as a living, growing field. Writing mathematics and problem-solving become central to student's learning. Students develop mastery of mathematics topics.
How to Design an Elementary Research Project
3) Provide " open ended questions" for inquiry. All research begins with inquiry questions. Either provide them for students or instruct them to write their own first, before they begin to research. So, just like anything else, you are going to want to break down the research process into small chunks. There are complicated 7-step research ...
PDF Pedagogical Innovations in Elementary Mathematics Instructions: Future
elementary students who reluctant to learn mathematics, the less competent ... Research and development in elementary mathematics were commonly conducted using Borg & Gall, ADDIE, and 4D models. The evidence from this study suggests that forthcoming ... prominence to acquire the state-of-art knowledge on a particular topic in terms of creating ...
The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Teaching Research in Elementary
Here are my exact steps to teaching research in elementary. As a school librarian, I am committed to teaching kids how to form a plan for research. In this blog post, I show you the videos, slides presentations, and worksheets that I used to teach research for kids. Students can start to learn how to research starting as early as kindergarten.
Future themes of mathematics education research: an ...
Before the pandemic (2019), we asked: On what themes should research in mathematics education focus in the coming decade? The 229 responses from 44 countries led to eight themes plus considerations about mathematics education research itself. The themes can be summarized as teaching approaches, goals, relations to practices outside mathematics education, teacher professional development ...
Assessing Elementary Students' Math Understanding
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No matter what method is used to teach math, make it fun. Anthony Bonato, Toronto Metropolitan University. Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Lisa Thompson have told elementary school ...
Elementary and Middle School Opportunity Structures That Factor into
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PDF Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics-Elementary Intervention
Progress (NAEP) math assessment has widened. Recent research has identified interventions that improved achievement for students with low test scores in mathematics. The Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades practice guide, developed by the . What Works Clearinghouse ™ (WWC) in con-junction with ...
What Are the Main Topics in Elementary Math?
Elementary math topics Elementary school students will learn multiplication and other basic math topics. Source: Pixabay. Nowadays elementary math topics could be quite different in some ways from what was taught ten or twenty years ago in school. However, the basic stuff is more or less the same. You have the typical topics: Addition; Subtraction
Supporting SEL in Elementary Math
Mathematics achievement is possible for all students when educators consider and include SEL techniques such as introducing students' interest into academic topics and encouraging collaboration. By collaborating to build the perfect paper airplane, these second-grade students grew both social and emotional learning and elementary math skills.
Elementary, middle school students falling behind in math amid ...
New research shows progress toward academic recovery stalled in 2022-23. This research brief covers data from 6.7 million US students examining academic gains relative to pre-pandemic years as well as tracking the gap in achievement between COVID year student groups compared to their pre-pandemic peers. By: Karyn Lewis, Megan Kuhfeld.
Research Projects for K-2
Research-based learning is often reserved for students in upper elementary or middle school, but this is a skill that kids can and do learn at an early age. Yes, you can teach kindergarteners how to do proper research (i.e. be awesome detectives and readers). Here are eight inspiring research projects on subjects common for the K-2 age group.
How to Make Math Concepts Feel Relevant to Students
Enter the four spheres of relevance: self, community, culture, and the "real" world. Each of these spheres connects content to students on various levels and can be integrated into nearly any component of a math curriculum, from note-taking to practice problems to project-based learning. Planning with these four lenses in mind helps ...
251+ Math Research Topics [2024 Updated]
251+ Math Research Topics: Beginners To Advanced. Prime Number Distribution in Arithmetic Progressions. Diophantine Equations and their Solutions. Applications of Modular Arithmetic in Cryptography. The Riemann Hypothesis and its Implications. Graph Theory: Exploring Connectivity and Coloring Problems.
A research on the elementary school students' maths fears
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15 Best & Easy Math Projects for Students
Description: Write the numbers 1 to 9 in one row and 0 in the next row to make a baseball diamond. Help your students write math facts such as doubles (2 + 2, 3 + 3, etc.), near doubles (9 + 8), addition/subtraction of 10 (8 + 2, 5 + 5), and related subtraction facts (7 - 3, 9 - 6) on the number cards.
Problems students are facing at public K-12 schools
Major problems at school. When we asked teachers about a range of problems that may affect students who attend their school, the following issues top the list: Poverty (53% say this is a major problem at their school) Chronic absenteeism - that is, students missing a substantial number of school days (49%) Anxiety and depression (48%) One-in ...
PDF Research trends in mathematics education: A quantitative content
Based on this, the main objective of this research is to determine the global research trends in mathematics education. K. G. Yığ/ Journal of Pedagogical Research, 6(3), 137-153139. Identifying research issues and trends in a specific field of research is critical in many aspects for the relevant academic field.
4. Challenges in the classroom
Most teachers (68%) say they have experienced verbal abuse from their students, such as being yelled at or verbally threatened. About one-in-five (21%) say this happens at least a few times a month. Physical violence is far less common, but about one-in-ten teachers (9%) say a student is physically violent toward them at least a few times a month.
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School buses arrive at an elementary school in Arlington, Virginia. (Chen Mengtong/China News Service via Getty Images) About half of U.S. adults (51%) say the country's public K-12 education system is generally going in the wrong direction.
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Four University of Pennsylvania undergraduates have received 2024 Goldwater Scholarships, awarded to second- or third-year students planning research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.. Penn's 2024 Goldwater Scholars are third-years Hayle Kim, Eric Myzelev, and Eric Tao in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Kaitlin Mrksich in the School of Engineering and ...
Leyva advances research on Hispanic-Serving Institutions with $2.4M
The TIPS research has focused on practices of classroom instruction and student support, specifically in courses that are gateways to mathematics and other STEM majors (e.g., calculus ...