About MATHS VIA
Welcome to the MATHS VIA Website
The MATHS VIA (Values into Action) Project is an action research approach inquiring on teachers’ perceptions of how values of making Mathematics meaningful can be put into practice through the design of task activities; and with a view to promoting professional sharing and experience exchange.
Project Director:
Prof. LAW Huk Yuen
- Adjunct Assistant Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Held the positions of MSc Programme Director in Maths Education and B.Ed. Programme Coordinator in Maths and Maths Education until his official retirement
- Served as the Consultant for the Secondary Mathematics in Action series
Target participants:
Primary and Junior Secondary mathematics teachers
Project research questions:
1. Primary
How to put the values of enhancing meaningful mathematics learning into action for primary schoolchildren?
2. Junior Secondary
How to put values into action of improving student motivation and engagement in mathematics through task design?
Methodology:
The target participants of this study are 25 teachers from 13 schools. The project consists of 2 cycles:
Cycle 1 of the study starts in Oct 2023 and ends in Dec 2023, and is divided into 3 phases:
Phase 1 – Task design
Under the guidance of Prof. Law, the participating teachers are asked to design classroom learning activities for students. Clear descriptions and outcome anticipations should be recorded in sketchbooks, either in paper or electronic format.
Phase 2 – Task implementation
The participating teachers are required to use the learning activities from phase 1 in teaching to test their effectiveness. After completion, any materials used are collected from the teachers as evidence of the effectiveness of the designs.
Phase 3 – Design Reflexivity Meeting
The participating teachers are invited to take part in a focus group interview which lasts for around 45 minutes. In the interview, the teachers are asked to share their experiences and thoughts in teaching.
Cycle 2 of the study starts in Jan 2024 and ends in May 2024, and is divided into 3 phases:
Phase 1 – Refined task design
Under the guidance of Prof. Law, the participating teachers are asked to refine their classroom learning activities. Clear descriptions and outcome anticipations should be recorded in sketchbooks, either in paper or electronic format.
Phase 2 – Refined task implementation
The participating teachers are required to use the refined learning activities in teaching to test their effectiveness. After completion, any refined materials used are collected from the teachers as evidence of the effectiveness of the designs.
Phase 3 – Refined task reflection and evaluation
The participating teachers are invited to take part in a focus group interview which lasts for around 45 minutes. In the interview, the teachers are asked to assess and evaluate what they have learnt and what they need to improve on in teaching.
Result:
To disseminate the research findings, a research report is published in academic conferences and in academic journals/books.
Benefits:
1. The researcher:
Dissemination of findings in academic conferences and publications in academic journals/books.
2. The participating teachers:
Gain professional growth through an exchange of professional experiences in task designing and gain potential opportunities in professional exchanges with overseas institutions and conferences.
3. The participating schools:
Gain institutional growth by supporting teachers’ professional growth in using task designs for student-oriented inquiry-based pedagogy.