Primary teachers' adaptive expertise in interdisciplinary maths and science
Research project
A unique collaboration between maths and science educators to find ways of fostering interdisciplinary adaptive expertise of primary teachers to enhance student learning and interest in these disciplines.
Project overview
Research has demonstrated that teaching science and mathematics in interdisciplinary ways, related to real-world problems, can enhance children’s engagement and deeper learning of disciplinary knowledge and facilitate the development of problem solving and creative and critical thinking skills.
The shift from disciplinary to interdisciplinary approaches to teaching requires teachers to become adaptive experts who can develop expertise across traditional disciplinary boundaries. Yet little is known about how to develop such expertise, as there is a long standing fragmentation and disconnect in the research on teaching and learning in these disciplines.
Diagram: A shift from disciplinary to interdisciplinary approach
What is adaptive expertise?
People with adaptive expertise can quickly adapt to new situations and regain high level performance. In contemporary education contexts, teachers are increasingly expected to become adaptive experts who respond to unfamiliar, unexpected and complex situations quickly, and apply professional knowledge flexibly, innovatively and creatively.
This project will explore how primary teachers can be supported to develop adaptive expertise in the context of interdisciplinary mathematics and science learning.
Our approach
This small scale, longitudinal intervention study will track primary teachers from five primary schools over three years. In each year of the study, pairs of teachers in each school will co-plan, co-teach and co-reflect on sequences of three interdisciplinary mathematics and science lessons. Longitudinal tracking of the same pairs of teachers in each school allows us to capture the developmental processes of adaptive expertise and individual variations in the characteristics of adaptive expertise between teachers.
This study aims to answer the following questions:
- How can primary teachers’ adaptive expertise in interdisciplinary mathematics and science be characterised in terms of components (i.e., flexibility, deeper level of understanding, and deliberate practice) and levels?
- To what extent, and how, does primary teachers’ adaptive expertise change and develop during a trajectory across three school years aimed at interdisciplinary mathematics and science in a co-plan, co-teach and co-reflect approach.
This project aims to contribute to the design of teacher professional learning programs that effectively foster the development of adaptive expertise, leading to improved student achievement and interest in primary mathematics and science.
Project team
Our team represents a collaboration between researchers at Monash University, Deakin University and University of Melbourne.
Investigators
Research Fellows
International Advisory Board
The International Advisory Board connects the project with leading international experts and institutions and enhances opportunities for dissemination of outcomes and future international collaborative projects. The Board provides feedback on data gathering, analyses, interpretations, overall project progress and dissemination.
Publications
Book Chapters
Xu, L., Chan, K., Berry, A., Ferguson, J., Kim, G., van Driel, J., …& Widjaja, W. (2022). Applying a scoping review methodology to investigate adaptive expertise: Insights and challenges for research in STEM education. Methodological Approaches to STEM Education Research Volume 3, 350-368.
Journal Articles
Vale, C., Kim, G., Widjaja, W., Ferguson, J. P., Berry, A., van Driel, J., ... & Pham, L. (2024). Designing a video-stimulated questionnaire about teachers’ adaptive expertise in interdisciplinary mathematics and science teaching. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 20(4), em2418.doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/14355
Conference Articles
Yoon, S. A., Reisman, A., Graham, L., Baldinger, E. E., Munson, J., Chinn, C. A., ... & Kim, J. (2024). Developing Teachers’ Adaptive Expertise for Ambitious Instruction and Disciplinary Learning. In Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences-ICLS 2024, pp. 1871-1878. International Society of the Learning Sciences.
Vale, C. (2023). Generative teacher practitioners: Enacting adaptive expertise in and beyond the classroom. In B. Reid-O'Connor, E. Prieto-Rodriguez, K. Holmes & A. Hughes (Eds), Weaving Mathematics from All Perspectives (Proceedings of 45th Annual Conference of MERGA, Clements Foyster Lecture, pp. 3-10). MERGA. C:/Users/cval0006/Downloads/MERGA45_Proceedings_2023_Final.pdf
Conference Presentations
2024
Understanding and developing primary teachers’ adaptive expertise in interdisciplinary mathematics and science. International Society of the Learning Sciences, New York, 10-14 June 2024
Developing Teacher Expertise in Interdisciplinary Science and Mathematics Teaching: The role of teacher noticing in shaping classroom practices. ASERA, Auckland, New Zealand, 3-5 July 2024
Primary teachers’ unpredictable moments in interdisciplinary mathematics and science. ASERA, Auckland, New Zealand, 3-5 July 2024
Integrating mathematics and science learning: Planning, doing, and lessons learned. CONATSA, Melbourne, 7-11 July 2024
Balancing Between Disciplinary Knowledge and Interdisciplinary Knowledge of Mathematics and Science: The Role of Adaptive Expertise. ICME, Sydney,7-14 July 2024
Primary Teachers’ Adaptive Expertise in Interdisciplinary Mathematics & Science. 10th South East Asia Design Research Conference, Melbourne, 15-16 July 2024
Adaptive expertise for Australian primary teachers in interdisciplinary science and mathematics teaching. The Korean Association for Science Education, Gwangju, Korea, 25-26 July 2024
2023
Examining socio-ecological factors that influence teachers’ adaptive expertise in interdisciplinary mathematics and science in primary education. ICMI Ecological Symposium, Online, 20 March 2023
Primary teachers’ adaptive expertise in interdisciplinary mathematics and science teaching: A case study of two schools. STEME workshop, 15 June 2023
Primary teachers’ adaptive expertise in interdisciplinary mathematics and science teaching: A case study of two schools. ASERA, Cairns, 27-30 June 2023
Capturing the Adaptive Expertise of Primary Teachers related to Integrated Science & Mathematics. IPN Biology Education Retreat, Sankelmark, Germany, 29-30 June 2023
Primary teachers’ adaptive expertise in interdisciplinary mathematics and science. ESERA, Turkey, 28 August - 1 September 2023
Design-based research with 360 video: Affordances for research and professional development of adaptive expertise. AARE, Melbourne, 27-30 November 2023
2022
Designing an Adaptive Expertise Video Survey Instrument (pdf)
CAR Symposium, 24-25 November 2022.
Characteristics and Development of Teacher Adaptive Expertise: Findings from a scoping review (pdf)
ICCR Research Group, 26 October 2022.
Developing Adaptive Expertise in Primary Science & Mathematics Education (pdf)
AARE 2022, Adelaide (27 Nov – 1 Dec).
2021
Exploring teachers’ adaptive expertise in education: A scoping review methodology (ppt)
Contemporary Approaches to Research in Mathematics, Science, Health and Environmental Education Symposium, 22-23rd November, 2021, Deakin University.
