Lesson Design Study and Teaching Resources

Research – Department of Teacher Education

Lesson Design Study and Teaching Resources

The research group on lesson design study and teaching resources is engaged in and builds on work done both nationally and internationally.

Lesson design studies involves researchers working collaboratively with teachers in designing, conducting, observing, reflecting and redesigning mathematics or science lessons.

Teaching resources comprises both analogue and digital resources and includes textbooks, curriculum materials, tasks, lesson plans, computers and other ICT tools etc. 

The research group builds on work done in the EU projects Primas, Mascil and FaSMEd in which several of our members participated, and is closely related to the NTNU Literacy project. The group is also engaged in and builds on work done in Shanghai, China.

The EU projects Primas and Mascil both focused on inquiry-based learning (IBL) in mathematics and science. Designing lessons with an IBL approach continues to be a primary focus of our group. Working with schools and teachers on designing lesson and developing resources for teaching were important parts of both Primas and Mascil and also the FaSMEd project, and continues to be an important part of the group’s work. Repositories with available resources can be found on the websites:

As part of the large NTNU Literacy project the subgroup of Mathematical and Science Literacy includes colleagues in the Mathematics and Science sections at the Department of Teacher Education at NTNU. We are working closely with two primary schools in Melhus commune, Brekkåsen and Høyeggen, conducting a longitudinal study following students through their seven years of primary school, starting in 2016 when the students started in first grade.

Internationally, we work with colleagues at The International Centre for STEM Education (ICSE). Part of the cooperation in ICSE includes the MaSDiV project (Supporting mathematics and science teachers in addressing diversity and promoting fundamental values). We are also involved in the EU project IncluSMe (Intercultural learning in science and mathematics initial teacher education). 

The EU Horizon 2020 funded project MaTeK (Enhancement of Research Excellence in Mathematics Teacher Knowledge) focus on developing and improving mathematics teacher education in a cooperation between partners in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Italy, Norway and Turkey. See also local project site for the MaTeK project.

Through the NORHED project we collaborate with Bahir Dar university in Ethiopia.

Recent publications lesson design study

Ding, L., Jones, K., & Sikko, S. A. (2019). Interconnectedness and difference between action research and a lesson design study in Shanghai, China. Educational Action Research, 27(4), 595–612.

Gjøvik, Ø., & Sikko, S. A. (2019). ‘Walking a Graph’: Developing Graph Sense Using Motion Sensor Technology. Digital Experiences in Mathematics Education, 5(3), 179–202.

Getie, B. & Ding, L. (2019). The use of variation theory in a problem-based task design study. In U. T. Jankvist, M. van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, & M. Veldhuis (Eds.), Proceedings of the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (pp. 4252–4259). Freudenthal Group & Freudenthal Institute, Utrec and ERME.

Grimeland, B., & Sikko, S. A. (2019). Developing mathematical literacy in an inquiry-based setting working with play-coins in a second-grade classroom. In U. T. Jankvist, M. van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, & M. Veldhuis (Eds.), Proceedings of the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (pp. 2269–2276). Freudenthal Group & Freudenthal Institute and ERME.

Tesfamicael, S. A., & Lundeby, Ø. A. (2019). A Comparative Study of Norwegian and Ethiopian Textbooks: The Case of Relations and Functions Using Anthropological Theory of Didactics (ATD). Universal Journal of Educational Research 7(3), 754–765.

Sikko, S. A., & Grimeland, B. (2020). Kritisk matematisk literacy i ein inquiry-basert kontekst på småskulesteget. Nordisk tidsskrift for utdanning og praksis, 14(1), 104–117.

Ding, L., & Jones, K. (2020). A comparative analysis of different models of mathematics teacher collaboration and learning. In H. Borko & D. Potari (Eds.), Teachers of Mathematics Working and Learning in Collaborative Groups, ICMI Study 25 Conference Proceedings (pp. 110–117). ICMI and University of Lisbon.

Sikko, S. A., & Ding, L. (2020). Roles of facilitators and teachers in models of teacher professional learning. In H. Borko & D. Potari (Eds.), Teachers of Mathematics Working and Learning in Collaborative Groups, ICMI Study 25 Conference Proceedings (pp. 548–555). ICMI and University of Lisbon.

Tesfamicael, S. A., & Ayalew, Y. (2021). Mathematics Education in Ethiopia in the Era of COVID-19: Boosting Equitable Access for All Learners via Opportunity to Learning. Contemporary Mathematics and Science Education, 2(1).

Sikko, S. A., & Grimeland, Y. (2021). From Researcher in Pure Mathematics to Primary School Mathematics Teacher Educator. In M. Goos & K. Beswick (Eds.), The Learning and Development of Mathematics Teacher Educators (pp. 225–243). 

Tesfamicael, S. A., Nakkin, A. H., Tumebo, T., & Gray, P. (2021). Curriculum Implications of Using Ethnomathematics to Promote Student Learning in Ethiopia. Journal of Mathematics and Culture, 15(3), 86–123.
 

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Members of the research group