This paper aims to develop a methodology to explore the politics of meaning in special education mathematics research. Mediated meaning, directions of intentionalities and perspectives on special education have been analysed in eight reviewed articles.  Results indicate that the politics of meaning in the Nordic sample are about processes of normalisation and effectiveness through methods and approaches. The teacher is emphasised as the centre for change and development also when it comes to organisational factors. Disabilities are not researched, perhaps cloaked by an overall relational approach or due to research paying attention to milder difficulties. The deve- loped methodology seems to be fruitful and will be applied on a broader international sample.

Syftet med avhandlingen är att beskriva, analysera och förstå matematikundervisning på lågstadiet. Mer precist är syftet att undersöka vad denna undervisning ger elever i några klassrum möjlighet att lära då undervisningsinnehållet är skriftliga räknemetoder för addition och  ubtraktion. Centrala frågor är vad lärare och elever gör i matematikklassrummet och vad eleverna, som en följd av undervisningen har möjlighet att lära. En fältstudie har genomförts i fem klasser med början på våren i år 2 och fortsättning under hösten i år 3. Sammanlagt 24 lektioner har videofilmats. Materialet har analyserats i två etapper, med början i en empiri nära, tematisk analys. Verksamhetsteorin är teoretisk utgångspunkt och analysverktyget som inspirerats av Engeströms modell för verksamhetssystem har varit vägledande i den andra etappen av analysen.

Resultatet visar fyra typer av undervisningsverksamheter i matematik, vilka resulterar i möjligt lärande som varierar i förhållande till de förmågemål som anges i Lgr11. Det framgår också att de utmärkande metoder som lärare och elever använder kan ordnas i fem grupper, i huvudsak beroende på vilka kunskapsaspekter metoderna riktas mot. Det gäller metoder där procedurer, begrepp och samband, matematisk kommunikation och resonemang samt intresse och tilltro är i centrum, tillsammans med metoder som bidrar till stötestenar, vilka innebär utmaningar för både lärare och elever. Resultatet diskuteras mot bakgrund av forskning om undervisning och lärande i matematik med inriktning mot språklig kommunikation, användning av laborativt material, klassrumskultur och klassrumsorganisation.

n many classrooms, from first grade through the whole school system, there are many students whose mother tongue is not the same as the teachers’ language used for instruction (Khisty, 2001). In Sweden, newly arrived immigrant children with limited Swedish language knowledge are learning Mathematics together with children who have spent their entire life in a Swedish context. Considering the large number of students with limited knowledge in the language of instruction one of the most important tasks for teachers in Swedish primary education is to create conditions to support the development of mathematical knowledge in these students...

Hur ser den japanska matematikundervisningen ut i de tidiga skolåren? Två forskare har slagit ihop sina intressen och rest till Japan för att observera och skaffa intryck från klassrum. De beskriver här vad som kännetecknar det lärare och elever gör då problemlösning är utgångspunkten för undervisning i aritmetik. De belyser också de förutsättningar för lärande som kan uppstå när undervisningen utgår från strukturerad problemlösning.

The overall interest in this study is actions of the diverse participants in the mathematics primary classroom. More specifically, attention is put on typical communication strategies that teachers and students, in our research context, use during mathematics lessons. We present some examples with classroom data to illustrate how the strategies are used and hat opportunities to learn mathematics are offered as an outcome from the implemented actions by teachers and students.

Mastering traditional algorithms has formed mathematics teaching in primary education. Educational reforms have emphasized variation and creativity in teaching and using computational strategies. These changes have recently been criticized for lack of empirical support. This research examines the effect of teaching two differently structured written calculation methods on teaching arithmetic skills (addition) in grade 2 in Sweden with respect to students procedural, conceptual and factual knowledge. A total of 390 students (188 females, 179 males, gender not indicated for 23) were included. The students attended 20 classes in grade 2 and were randomly assigned to one of two methods. During the intervention, students who were taught and had practiced traditional algorithms developed their arithmetic skills significantly more than students who worked with the decomposition method with respect to procedural knowledge and factual knowledge. These results provided no evidence that the development of students conceptual knowledge would benefit more from learning the decomposition method compared to traditional algorithm.

Background An evaluation report of the mathematics initiative in Sweden points out certain aspects for succeeding in using Learning Study as a method for developing mathematics education. These aspects are (1) a limited content, (2) qualified tutoring, (3) set-aside time and (4) supportive school leaders. Purpose Our purpose is to share our experiences from tutoring different municipality Learning Study projects, by highlighting aspects that could be regarded as crucial for a successful project. Design In order to get better results in students' achievements in mathematics, the teachers attended a municipality Learning Study project, aimed to develop mathematics teaching, especially with focus on content. The first project started in 2010 and the last ongoing project will be finished in spring 2013. Totally approx. 70 mathematics teachers (grade 1-9) together with tutors and project managers were involved. Main activities have been lectures and group discussions of books and articles about Learning Study together with planning, developing and carrying through lessons according to the Learning Study model. Overall, a total amount of about 40 LearningStudies will be fulfilled before summer 2013. Findings As tutors  in the projects we have experienced some aspects that we, from our point of view, believe could affect and be crucial for the outcome of Learning Study projects. We present our findings divided into three main themes (1) General aspects, e.g. visible project management, distinct organization and a compressed Learning Study cycle, (2) Successful groups, e. g. profound understanding of fundamental mathematics, knowledge and awareness about curriculum, and high expectations on students’ achievements. Finally, a third theme has emerged, through analyzing videotaped lessons, tests and materials from project evaluations, (3) Impact on teaching. Some examples are (a) increased and conscious use of manipulatives, (b) increased use of group discussions, and (c) less time for students’ individual work in textbooks. 

This presentation wants to provide knowledge on mathematics lessons in Japanese classrooms (in comparison to Swedish classrooms). We will focus on a description of arithmetic lessons in the early school years. During a study visit in Sendai and Tokyo in February 2014 we had the possibility to visit lessons in four different elementary schools and to observe teachers’ and pupils’ activities during the mathematic lessons. The ”Japanese way” of organizing mathematics teaching has been described frequently and is being characterised as organising the whole lesson around a small number of problems and with a focus on pupils learning strategies (Shimizu, 2013). In this paper we choose Shimizu and others’ analyses as a starting point and will exemplify how a problem solving perspective can guide the activities of teachers and pupils. We are especially interested in how problem solving can contribute to pupils’ understanding of mathematical terms and content in elementary school lessons early years, when addition and subtraction and related procedures are being taught.