Accelerating Mathematics Learning (XLR8)

Project dates: 21/11/2012 - Ongoing

This project began as an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project – LP120200591 Accelerating the mathematics learning of low socio-economic status junior secondary students, shortened to XLR8 Maths. The Linkage project ran from late 2012 to late 2016 and partnered with three state secondary schools in Brisbane. It developed a replacement curriculum program for students working at approximately four years below the level of their peers in junior secondary cohorts with an aim to enable students to develop sufficient skills, understandings and confidence to access mainstream Year 10 mathematics classes.

XLR8 modifies the strictly topic-based vertical curriculum of the AIM project. Number and algebra concepts from early understandings of quantity and place value through to linear algebra are sequenced across 15 units of learning experiences. These experiences draw on real contexts found in measurement, geometry, statistics and probability and provide opportunities to demonstrate the connectedness of mathematical ideas across strands within the curriculum.

The XLR8 Mathematics project provides 15 units covering concepts from early understandings to Year 9 that can be taught as a two- or three-year mathematics program across Years 7 to 9. The XLR8 Mathematics program is supported by written and online resources including sample RAMR lessons, some sample worksheets with accompanying notes for teaching, templates, portfolio tasks, and assessment and recording tools. This set of intervention materials is now available for further trial, adaptation and implementation in school contexts.


Funding / Grants

  • ARC Linkage (2012 - 2016)

Chief Investigators

Publications

  • Nutchey, David, Grant, Edlyn, Cooper, Tom (2016) Operationalising constructivist theory using Popper’s three worlds. In Csikos, C, Rausch, A, Szitanyi, J (Eds.), Proceedings of the 40th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Volume 3, pp.371-378.
  • Nutchey, David, Grant, Edlyn, Cooper, Tom, English, Lyn (2016) Sustaining the professional growth of mathematics teachers. In Csikos, C, Rausch, A, Szitanyi, J (Eds.), Proceedings of the 40th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Volume 3, pp.379-386.
  • Nutchey, David, Grant, Edlyn, English, Lyn (2016) Experiencing mathematics for connected understanding: Using the RAMR framework for accelerating students’ learning. In White, B, Trenholm, S, Chinnappan M, M (Eds.), Opening up mathematics education research: Proceedings of the 39th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, pp.495-502.
  • Nutchey, David, Grant, Edlyn, Cooper, Tom, English, Lyn (2015) Introducing the multi-faceted teaching experiment. Proceedings of the 2015 Contemporary Approaches to Research Symposium, pp.1-5.
  • Nutchey, David, Grant, Edlyn, Cooper, Tom, English, Lyn (2015) A continuum to characterise and support teacher interpretation of an innovative curriculum. In Muir, T, Wells, J, Beswick, K (Eds.), Proceedings of the 39th Meeting of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, PME 39 (Volume 3), pp.297-304.
  • Grant, Edlyn, Nutchey, David, Cooper, Tom, English, Lyn (2014) Language and literacy in mathematics: stepping stones or stumbling blocks in accelerating junior-secondary students. International Conference of STEM in Education, pp.1-1.
  • Nutchey, David, Grant, Edlyn, Cooper, Tom (2014) Use of genetic decompositions to scaffold the development of a structurally sequenced curriculum for mathematics acceleration. International Conference of STEM in Education, pp.1-1.
  • Cooper, Tom, Nutchey, David, Grant, Edlyn (2013) Accelerating the Mathematics Learning of Low Socio-Economic Status Junior Secondary Students : an early report. In Ball, L, Steinle, V, Bardini, C (Eds.), Mathematics education: Yesterday, today and tomorrow (Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia), pp.202-209.

Using the maths mat for linear algebra in XLR8 Mathematics project