Module: Mathematics Education

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Mathematics Education
Module Code	EDP1127 (ITS: ED9048)
Faculty	STEM Ed, Innov, Global Studies	School	DCU Institute of Education
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	2.5

Description

Building on their learning and professional development in PMEP1, student teachers are provided with opportunities to further develop pedagogical content knowledge and the skills necessary to research and analyse teaching and learning mathematics across all strands of the curriculum. Students will reflect upon and expand their own conceptual understanding of mathematics. They will research and analyse key mathematical ideas of various topics and will explore appropriate teaching methodologies. They will appraise lesson plans and units of work, with an emphasis on how a child may experience these lessons. They will engage in collaborative group work to develop a progressional scheme which must draw on evidence-based theory regarding the teaching and learning of mathematics, and reflect the content and principles of the Irish Primary School Mathematics Curriculum. Approaches that emphasise pupil agency and problem-based learning are foregrounded throughout the module.

Learning Outcomes

1. Interrogate important concepts and principles underlying the teaching of mathematics
2. Appraise mathematics lessons and progressional schemes in terms of the development of children’s thinking.
3. Consolidate skills in planning dialogic, problem-based mathematics lessons.
4. Apply findings from research to prepare evidence-based short-term plans for teaching mathematics through child-centred and progressive approaches.
5. Explicate and defend planning, learning, resourcing and teaching decisions with reference to research findings in the field.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Workshop	20	Group workshops featuring collaborative teaching and learning activities, short lecture inputs and discussion
Independent Study	17.5	Engaging with recommended readings and independent activities
Assignment Completion	25	Collaborative scheme planning and individual rationale.
Total Workload: 62.5

Section Breakdown
CRN	10446	Part of Term	Semester 1
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Miriam Ryan	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Group assignment	Students design a learning plan in mathematics.	45%	n/a
Assignment	Students write an individual rationale which explicates and defends planning decisions, drawing upon and synthesising ideas from psychology of learning and mathematics education research and evaluating or creating effective mathematical tasks for specific learnign outcomes.	45%	n/a
Completion of online activity	Students respond to seminar content by addressing a series of tasks, including but not limited to offereing multiple solutions to matheatical tasks, evaluating digital resources, critiquing mathematical explanations.	10%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Mathematical Content Knowledge
Students will deepen and expand their mathematical knowledge through problem-solving, with a focus on collaboration, reflection, discussion and extension activities and explore the application of these practices to the primary mathematics classroom;

Theoretical underpinning
Students will interrogate theories around the teaching and learning of mathematics with particular reference to the five metapractices identified in the Research Reports underpinning the new mathematics curriculum.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Students will identify domain-specific pedagogical approaches across all five strands of the Primary School Mathematics Curriculum (PSMC) through a combination of in-class problem-solving approaches and modelling, analysis of video-case studies, and interrogation of relevant literature.

Professional Planning Competency
Students will build upon the content of Module 1 by deepening and refining the planning of lessons; and apply cutting edge research to develop short term planning that maximises opportunities for the development of children’s mathematical thinking

Implications for Practice
Students will research, analyse, critique and select a broad range of high-quality resources for teaching mathematics, with reference to the principles, skills and content objectives of the Primary Mathematics Curriculum. They will consider how planned activities can be enacted effectively.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

John A. Van de Walle,Karen S. Karp,Jennifer M. Bay-Williams,Jonathan A. Wray,Elizabeth Todd Brown: 2019, Elementary and Middle School Mathematics, 9th, Pearson, Upper Saddle RIver, 129233150X
Andrew Davis,Maria Goulding,Jennifer Suggate: 2017, Mathematical Knowledge for Primary Teachers, Routledge, 328, 9781317219002
Alice Hansen: 2011, Children's Errors in Mathematics, Learning Matters, 208, 9781844456123
Mike Askew: 0, Transforming Primary Mathematics, 0415607027

Articles:
None

Other Resources

1: Website, www.nrich.maths.org,
418682: 1, Website, https://maths4all.ie/,