High-Stakes Examination Tasks as Impetus for Primary Mathematics Teachers' Reform in Their Instructional Practice

The study reported in this paper is on the professional development (PD) of primary school mathematics teachers. Teachers from two primary schools participated in the PD for two years. High-stakes mathematics examination tasks were used to kick start awareness and thinking about teaching for big ideas. Teachers did the tasks and discussed their solutions focusing on how their instruction could facilitate the acquisition of mathematical ideas as a body of connected knowledge. Data presented in this paper show that the tasks teachers worked with at the start of the PD did impact their understanding and instructional practice specific to big ideas in mathematics. Some challenges the teachers faced during the PD are also noted.