Background: Early numeracy interventions including basicarithmetic are crucial for young students at risk for earlymathematics difficulties (MDs), yet few studies have evalu-ated numeracy interventions in second grade with a rand-omized controlled design.Aim: This pre- and post-test randomized controlled studyevaluated the effects of an intensive 9-week numeracy andarithmetic programme for second-grade students at risk forearly MDs. The focus of the programme was students’ foun-dational understanding of numbers and mathematical con-cepts and procedural fluency with arithmetic tasks.Sample: A total of 753 first-grade students from 21 schoolsin Sweden were screened for low achievement in numberknowledge and arithmetic.Methods: Students considered at risk for MDs (≤25 per-centile on two consecutive first-grade mathematics screen-ings) were individually randomized to an intervention group(n = 32) or control group (n = 30) at the beginning of secondgrade (7–8 years old). Trained teachers administered theone-to-one, explicit programme to intervention group stu-dents in elementary school settings. The intervention groupreceived numeracy instruction emphasizing foundationalmathematics concepts and procedures. Controls receivedteaching as usual with potential special education supportprovided by their schools.Results: The intervention group demonstrated significantlygreater improvements in conceptual knowledge, arithmeticcalculations and problem-solving compared to the controlgroup, with medium size effects observed.

Denna rapport är genomförd i samarbete mellan Marcus Samuelsson och Joakim Samuelsson, som forskar om utveckling av skicklig undervisning, samt Bernt Friberg, Urban Hansson och Mats Rosenkvist som är experter på att utveckla evidensbaserad undervisningsskicklighet.

Vår rapport bygger på en analys av en serie med 504 lektionsobservationer med fokus på undervisningsskicklighet som genomfördes med alla lärare på 30 grundskolor, 20 F-6 skolor och 10 7–9 skolor. Analysen visar på stor variation i undervisningens genomförande på samtliga skolor och utbredda brister i själva lärprocessen. Under 60 procent av de 504 lektionerna fanns inga lärandemål alls och lärandet synliggjordes sällan under lektionerna. Fokus i klassrummen var på att göra, inte att lära. Under cirka 10 procent av lektionerna hade eleverna förstått vad de skulle lära. Under cirka 45 procent av lektionerna använde läraren ett tydligt och konventionellt ledarskap med fokus på kontroll och sanktioner. Under endast 40 procent av lektionerna var lärarens ledarskap i klassrummet inriktat på att inspirera och motivera för lärande. Eleverna lämnades ofta ensamma att lyckas/misslyckas i arbetet under lektionerna och samlärande med andra elever användes i liten utsträckning. Tränade rutiner lyste med sin frånvaro i de flesta klassrum.

Rapporten visar också att alla lärares undervisning blev signifikant bättre med metoden: lektionsobservationer, coachande samtal (”min undervisning”) och kollektiva reflektioner kring data om hur undervisningen genomfördes på skolan (”vår undervisning”). På 14 av de 30 skolorna observerades alla lärare, totalt 188, även en andra gång. Analysen av de observationerna visar att alla lärarnas undervisning då hade blivit signifikant bättre. Det innebär även att lärare som redan var skickliga hade blivit skickligare. Effekten mellan första och andra observationen varierade mellan medelstora och stora effekter för de 10 observerade dimensionerna.

En annan sida av resultaten är lärarnas positiva reaktioner. Lärare som får möjlighet att strukturerat reflektera över undervisningsskicklighet i relation till sin undervisning på ett sätt som de känner är meningsfullt vill ha mer. Evidensbaserad undervisningsskicklighet som förmedlades till konkreta iakttagbara handlingar i klassrummet uppskattades eftersom lärarna kunde pröva dessa lärdomar redan nästa lektion.

Rapporten visar att det med små resurser går att utveckla det som är framgångsrik evidensbaserad undervisningsskicklighet. Rapporten tydliggör för de som är ansvariga för undervisningen; politiker, rektorsutbildningar, lärarutbildningar, skolchefer, rektorer och lärare, hur brådskande och möjligt det är att utveckla undervisningen. 1,1 miljoner elever är i grundskolan här och nu. Studien kan fungera som inspiration till skolutveckling. Den kan påverka kultur och förhållningssätt inom den egna verksamheten, bidra till professionell dialog om undervisningens kvalitet samt leda till utveckling, mer lärande och högre kunskapsresultat på varje skola.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent students aged eight years developed their arithmetic fact fluency by using artificial intelligence to practice number combinations. The study compares the effects of three different ways of practicing number combinations: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Memorization (Mem), and Guided Learning (GL). The design was a split-plot factorial design with group as a between-subject factor and time (i.e., before and after a six-week intervention) as a within-subject factor. Pre- and post-test were performed to assess students’ fluency with respect to basic number combinations, i.e., addition, such as 3 + 4, 2 + 1, 6 + 3, etc. The results show that students developed their fluency significantly with respect to basic number combinations when practicing this skill with support of artificial intelligence. It seems that the technique is effective at analyzing and recommending content based on students’ learning patterns and what has worked best for similar students. The results therefore strengthen the findings of previous studies that artificial intelligence presents great opportunities to offer individual support to maximize learning. The results also show that practicing number combinations with artificial intelligence is more effective compared to practicing with a focus on memorization and guided learning.

I denna studie studeras hur flyt på grundläggande talkombinationer utvecklas när elever övar upp sitt flyt med stöd av artificiell intelligens. Det finns flera skäl till att studera detta område. Dels handlar det om att artificiell intelligens börjar användas alltmer inom matematikutbildning, dels att flyt på talkombinationer är en central aspekt av aritmetiken samt att tidigare studier har visat att elever i behov av särskilt stöd i matematik har problem med flyt på grundläggande talkombinationer I denna studie prövas tre olika interventioner för att utveckla flyt på talkombinationer i årskurs 2. Resultatet visar att den grupp som utvecklar sitt flyt mest under interventionsperioden är den som övar på grundläggande talkombinationer med AI-motor. Näst bäst utvecklas gruppen som endast övat med matematiska symboler därefter de som övat med bildstöd och minst utvecklas kontrollgruppen.

In this study we investigated how to support students basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness to develop their relationships with mathematics with respect to students intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, self-perception in relation to mathematics and math anxiety. There is a substantial amount of research that shows how negative relationships with mathematics affect students achievement. In this action research project, we followed an action research spiral. The model gave us the opportunity to plan, act and reflect in an ongoing cycle, which was important to us since we had four measurement points during the year and we repeated our investigation every year for three years. Addressing the research problem and studying the evidence presented, several conclusions can be made. It can be concluded that activities that support students basic psychological needs have an impact on their relationship with mathematics, which corresponds to earlier research findings. Additionally, this study provided further insights into the importance of a scaffolding teacher.

The present study aimed to investigate pre-service teachers’ mathematics teaching when responding to virtual pupils’ unexpected mathematical questions concerning how to sort fractions. The research was conducted with 102 pre-service teachers participating in a teacher education program specializing in upper elementary school mathematics. The main data collection strategy took the form of video recordings of teaching sessions involving semi-virtual simulations. The recordings were analyzed through a qualitative explorative analysis process involving three phases, focusing on the object of learning and how the pre-service teachers handled the mathematics content pertaining to comparing fractions. The simulated teaching activity, together with the large sample, allowed us to discover patterns concerning how PSTs teach when they are asked unexpected questions related to fractions. The results show qualitatively different ways of teaching. PSTs draw pupils’ attention to different learning objects by using different representations and more or less correct mathematics. This study offers teacher educators knowledge about how PSTs teach when confronted by students with unexpected questions concerning fractions and can therefore support teacher educators in interpreting students’ mathematics instruction and help them decide how best to support PSTs’ teaching instruction.

This study contributes to our understanding of how pre-service teachers (PSTs), studying to become middle school teachers, teach virtual pupils in a simulation setting. Such settings provide an opportunity for PSTs to practice teaching skills in a safe environment with the support of their teacher educators. It also enables researchers to study in detail how PSTs handle classroom interaction and teach content. The data comprises 102 recordings from teaching sessions, analyzed using qualitative analysis. The results show that the PSTs handle content and interact with virtual pupils in different ways. Four teaching styles were identified: (a) a confusing way of teaching, distinguished by misleading explanations in an IRE (Initiation-Response-Evaluation) structure; (b) an improvising way of teaching, distinguished by messy explanations following pupils’ questions; (c) a lecturing way of teaching, distinguished by consistent explanations in an IRE structure; and (d) an orchestrating way of teaching, distinguished by consistent explanations and instances of exploratory talk. The results also identify areas where the PSTs need further support in their development. Teacher educators can use the results as a starting point when they organize and plan the content of their teacher education programs.

Forskningens syfte var att utveckla och utvärdera två interventioner för elever med tidiga lässvårigheter eller tidiga mattesvårigheter. Resultaten visade att bägge interventionerna hade en medelstor till stor effekt på förbättring för interventionsgrupperna direkt efter interventionerna. Ett år efter interventionerna hade de flesta av de positiva effekterna minskat till ungefär hälften.

Teachers feedback via Learning Management Systems (LMSs) is studied within the subject of social studies at upper secondary school in Sweden. A qualitative study involved classroom observations within LMSs, gathering teachers feedback on pupils submitted assignments, and semi-structured interviews with six teachers. With the support of activity theory, the interest of the study was directed towards the tensions that arise in an activity system consisting of teachers feedback actions in a digital assessment context. The results reveal tensions in the relationship between grading documentation in the LMS and the subjects traditions in the form of discussions, for example. Tensions were distinguished in the interaction between a school policy of using a feedback matrix and teachers formative ideals. Tensions were also distinguished between teachers need to legitimise grades and give feedback according to formative ideals. Finally, a tension was distinguished between the time available for providing feedback and teachers formative ideals for giving feedback.