Technology in a mathematics measurement lesson about capacity: It's not just about engagement

A larger project sought to capture how five Australian primary teachers used technology in one of their mathematics lessons. In this article we present the narrative of a preparatory teacher who used calculators, a bank of computers and an interactive white board in a lesson about measurement, specifically capacity. In each case, three sources of data were collected: the teacher’s lesson plan, video recordings of the lesson, and audio-recorded semi-structured interviews with individual teachers immediately following the lesson. The Productive Pedagogy Frameworkwas used in data analyses of video recordings to examine one of its four dimensions: intellectual quality. Data indicated mostly on-task behaviours from children interested in the activities. However, there was limited evidence in the development of metalanguage and high order thinking skills. Findings from this case study remind both practitioners and teacher educators to consider the opportunities and constraints of using technological tools for teaching mathematics.