Re-enfranchising Mathematically-alienated Students: Teacher and Tutor Perceptions of the Getting Ready in Numeracy (G.R.I.N.) Program

Penelope Kalogeropoulos; James A. Russo; Peter Sullivan; Michele Klooger; Sue Gunningham

doi:10.29333/iejme/5881

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Penelope Kalogeropoulos ¹ ^* , James A. Russo ¹, Peter Sullivan ¹, Michele Klooger ¹, Sue Gunningham ¹

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¹ Monash University, AUSTRALIA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This paper outlines a tutoring initiative intended to re-engage students who have become alienated from mathematics class at school. The initiative is focused on priming students for their subsequent mathematics lessons, and is referred to as “Getting Ready in Numeracy” (G.R.I.N.). Following a discussion outlining the principles of G.R.I.N., data from interviews with G.R.I.N. tutors and classroom teachers are presented. Findings suggest that participating in G.R.I.N. enhanced student engagement in mathematics and helped foster a growth mindset. Analysis of interviews also revealed some of the challenges associated with the initiative, in particular, issues relating to communication and coordination, such as: understanding the purpose of G.R.I.N., timetabling, planning and having sufficient students in the target group. In addition, in some instances, tensions between the professional and pedagogical expertise of the G.R.I.N. tutor and classroom teacher required navigation. Recommendations for mitigating these challenges and tensions are put forward, all of which are reliant on strong leadership and support for the program at the school level.

Keywords

intervention programs
growth mindset
student engagement
cognitive-load theory
social-cognitive theory

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, 2020, Volume 15, Issue 1, Article No: em0545

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5881

Publication date: 21 Aug 2019

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How to cite this article

APA

Kalogeropoulos, P., Russo, J. A., Sullivan, P., Klooger, M., & Gunningham, S. (2020). Re-enfranchising Mathematically-alienated Students: Teacher and Tutor Perceptions of the Getting Ready in Numeracy (G.R.I.N.) Program. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 15(1), em0545. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5881

Vancouver

Kalogeropoulos P, Russo JA, Sullivan P, Klooger M, Gunningham S. Re-enfranchising Mathematically-alienated Students: Teacher and Tutor Perceptions of the Getting Ready in Numeracy (G.R.I.N.) Program. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2020;15(1):em0545. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5881

AMA

Kalogeropoulos P, Russo JA, Sullivan P, Klooger M, Gunningham S. Re-enfranchising Mathematically-alienated Students: Teacher and Tutor Perceptions of the Getting Ready in Numeracy (G.R.I.N.) Program. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2020;15(1), em0545. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5881

Chicago

Kalogeropoulos, Penelope, James A. Russo, Peter Sullivan, Michele Klooger, and Sue Gunningham. "Re-enfranchising Mathematically-alienated Students: Teacher and Tutor Perceptions of the Getting Ready in Numeracy (G.R.I.N.) Program". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education 2020 15 no. 1 (2020): em0545. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5881

Harvard

Kalogeropoulos, P., Russo, J. A., Sullivan, P., Klooger, M., and Gunningham, S. (2020). Re-enfranchising Mathematically-alienated Students: Teacher and Tutor Perceptions of the Getting Ready in Numeracy (G.R.I.N.) Program. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 15(1), em0545. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5881

MLA

Kalogeropoulos, Penelope et al. "Re-enfranchising Mathematically-alienated Students: Teacher and Tutor Perceptions of the Getting Ready in Numeracy (G.R.I.N.) Program". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, vol. 15, no. 1, 2020, em0545. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5881