Week 2: Learning Mathematics with Available Technology

Effective teachers optimize the potential of technology to develop students' understanding, stimulate their interest, and increase their proficiency in mathematics. When teachers use technology strategically, they can provide greater access to mathematics for all students.

The mathematics classroom has gone far beyond the image of a teacher, a chalkboard and a bunch of bored students. Today's mathematics classroom engages students through learning challenges and through the use of many different kinds of technology. Students use technology such as computers and calculators independently, in small groups, and as a class with the teacher leading them. Teachers use technology to plan lessons, teach lessons and keep track of student progress.

The potential for digital technologies to enhance students’ mathematics learning is widely recognized, and the use of computers and graphics calculators is now encouraged or required by secondary school mathematics curriculum documents throughout Australia. However, previous research indicates that effective integration of technology into classroom practice remains patchy, with factors such as teacher knowledge, confidence, experience and beliefs, access to resources, and participation in professional development influencing uptake and implementation. This paper reports on a large-scale survey of technology-related professional development experiences and needs of mathematics teachers. Teachers who had participated in professional development were found to be more confident in using technology and more convinced of its benefits in supporting students’ learning of mathematics. Experienced, specialist mathematics teachers in large metropolitan schools were more likely than others to have attended technology-related professional development, with a lack of time and limited access to resources acting as hindrances to many. Teachers expressed a clear preference for professional development that helps them meaningfully integrate technology into lessons to improve student learning of specific mathematical topics. These findings have implications for the design and delivery of professional development that improves teachers’ knowledge, understanding, and skills in a diverse range of contexts.

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