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Indigenous Students and Mathematics: Teachers’ Perceptions of the Role of Teacher Aides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2016

Elizabeth Warren
Affiliation:
School of Education, Australian Catholic University, McAuley Campus, PO Box 456, Virginia, Queensland, 4014, Australia
Tom J. Cooper
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, 4059, Australia
Annette Baturo
Affiliation:
School of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, 4059, Australia
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Abstract

This study examined teachers’ perceptions of the role of teacher aides in mathematics classrooms in rural and remote Indigenous communities. Twelve teachers from three schools in rural and remote Queensland participated in the study. The results from the first year of the project indicated that there were differences in how these teachers worked with their teacher aides, particularly the specific roles assigned to them in the mathematics classroom, with non-Indigenous teacher aides being given greater responsibilities for student learning and Indigenous teacher aides for behavioural management. As a result of teacher aide in-service on mathematics learning, teachers’ perception of the Indigenous teacher aides changed, resulting in each being given greater responsibility for student learning.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2004

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