This study is the part of a larger study on investigating Hong Kong (HK) prospective teachers’ (PTs) Subject Matter Knowledge (SMK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). In this paper, five HK PTs’ SMK and PCK on teaching one topic regarding square root were investigated. The results suggest that insufficient understanding on the concept of algebraic operation is the major obstacle to limit those student teachers from teaching students with mathematical understanding. The results further echo with the viewpoint that SMK and PCK are two interrelated constructs and rich SMK leads to high quality of PCK.

Background: This study was part of a large-scale quasi-experiment on the causal relations among feedback, self-directed learning, and mathematics achievement of primary students in Hong Kong. The larger study was sponsored by a General Research Grant awarded by Research Grants Council of UGC, Hong Kong (Project Number 844011). Aims and Keywords: The study aimed to develop and validate, using a Rasch approach, of an instrument for measuring mathematics achievement of Primary five students. Sample: The sample comprised 1,368 Primary 5 students from 16 Hong Kong schools who participated voluntarily. Methods: A pre-test/post-test design was used for the larger study. Data for this study were collected at the pre-test in form of a mathematics test completed during class-time. A 35-item mathematics test was developed after careful analysis of the local curriculum, and in consultation with teachers on the suitability of the test for students by the end of Semester One of Primary 5. Rasch analysis with the Winsteps software (version 3.70) was then used to validate the instrument. Results: The results showed that: (1) item-fit was between 0.5 and 1.5 for all items except one; (2) Eigen value of the first contrast of the Rasch PCA of Residuals was below 2.0; (3) Rasch person and item reliabilities were 0.80 and 1.00 respectively; (4) there was good alignment between item difficulty and student ability; (5) no gender-DIF was found in the items. Conclusions: Measurement validity is one of the most crucial factors for the overall validity of any research study. This study developed a valid and reliable instrument for measuring mathematics achievement of Primary 5 students.

在2012及2015年學生能力國際評估計劃（PISA）考試中，亞洲地區包括上海、香港、新加坡及台灣的學生（平均15歲）的數學能力名列首五名，美國、英格蘭等歐美國家則處於中游位置。從這項考試數據顯示，美、英兩地學生的數學能力不及亞洲地方。硏究顯示，不同地方學生的數學運用差異與身處的學習環境有一定關係；此外，他們如何學習數學、應用數學邏輯亦會影響評估表現（OECD, 2012）。課堂上，教科書是輔助老師教學的主要工具。Nciol & Crepo（2006）指出，教科書對學生數學學習表現有重要影響，亦在教師教授數學時扮演關鍵角色。Stein、Remillard與Smith（2007）研究進一步發現，教科書内容中的排序、組織、焦點會影響數學老師的教學及學生如何學習數學。 因此，本文對照香港、新加坡、美國及英格蘭的初中數學教科書，探討當中異同。透過20多篇探討四地初中數學教科書的文章，檢視學生數學成績差異與教科書編撰的關係。全文將從教科書的課程目的、課題內容、練習題目及使用等四方面分析問題。

The present research aims at exploring the effectiveness of spiral bianshi mathematics curriculum on the teaching of speed and circumference to Primary 6 students in Hong Kong. Cognitive and affective learning outcomes, together with students’ beliefs are investigated. Teaching materials of these two topics are designed basing on the framework of spiral bianshi mathematics curriculum and were implemented in three primary schools in Hong Kong. The effectiveness of the curriculum was investigated with a pre-test/post-test, experimental/control group design. Preliminary analyses of the cognitive learning outcomes revealed that the students using the bianshi curriculum and teaching materials performed better than their counterparts. The experimental group also showed more positive attitude in some of the affective variables, though such changes did not happen in all the affective components. The experimental group also showed more positive attitude in some of the affective components. Further statistical analyses could be performed to see why the improvement was not as prominent as expected. A possible further analysis could be, by separating those who had sizable improvement with those who had not, we may attempt to identify the characteristics of students, to see who benefit most (in the affective domain) from the bianshi curriculum. It is hoped that these qualitative data would help unveil the secret of the learning process that leads to the desirable learning results.
[Copyright © 2010 Anna Mei-Yan Chan, Ngai-Ying Wong & Chi-Chung Lam.]

Attention to details is one of the most important specific features of a mathematical way to thinking. When evaluating mathematical questions it is important to teach students to pay attention globally and locally, consider conditions, properties and relationships, since all of these aspects are as important to develop as mathematical techniques. To develop such skills in their students school teachers should have those skills themselves. In this study, we investigate the ability of school mathematics teachers to pay attention to details and use their mathematical knowledge. We are confident that the vast majority of teachers have excellent knowledge of mathematical techniques. Hence the question is whether this kind of knowledge might structure their attention in such a way that the emphasis on procedures deviates their attention from the essential details. Two groups of teachers from New Zealand and Hong Kong were given a mini-test containing seven simple mathematics questions. All questions in the test were provocative in the sense that they looked like routine questions but in fact they had some catch. The results from the test were startling – the vast majority of the teachers did not notice any catch and gave incorrect answers to most questions in the test. After the test the teachers were given a short questionnaire to reflect on their performance on the test. The teachers’ responses to the questionnaire are presented and analysed in the paper using theories on attention. Implementations of the results of the study in assessment and professional development are discussed.

實行校本評核是香港新高中學制改革的重要一環。雖然數學科校本評核的時間表至今還未落實，但已有不少本地研究結果顯示，數學科教師對校本評核的擬題及建議評核模式甚感徬徨和憂慮，亦懷疑其成效及公平性。在推行數學校本評核方面，英國和澳洲均有豐富經驗。香港建議的評估模式與英國曾使用的方式相近，而澳洲昆士蘭州的校本評核則建基於校本課程的推行，甚具特色。本文將透過分析英國 GCSE 數學科的學科作業和澳洲昆士蘭州校本評核的經驗得失，探討香港數學科校本評核未來的發展方向，以期為有關當局構想的校本評核模式提供改進建議。
[Copyright © 香港中文大學，2012.]

在評估小組專題研習時，如何區分個別學生對作業所作的貢獻？本文將對這個過程中所產生的問題進行討論。朋輩評估是任何建議的評估形式所必備的要素，但是使用任何形式的 “加權因子”，都會違背了協作式分組活動的理念。本文描述一個將評估中的過程元素與成果元素分開的結構，同時提出一套適用於過程朋輩評估的通用準則。這個評估結構曾在香港大學向一群學生實施，並以問卷及深層訪問進行評鑑。本文討論這次評鑑的結果，特別指出使用評估準則時需要 “訂立基準”，文章也探討了這類評估所包含的 “內外有別” 的表現，提出這是一個很重要的文化因素，並會引發許多問題。
[Copyright © 2003 香港公開大學出版社.]

Mathematics is widely perceived as an abstract academic subject to teach or to learn. However, Information Technology can be used as a means to help explain or understand the abstract mathematical ideas in a variety of topics of mathematics. Undoubtedly, it can enhance students' understanding of the concepts concerned and hence improve the quality of teaching and learning. This paper reports the design and implementation of a Chinese-interfaced multimedia courseware for teaching Mensuration, Set Theory, Geometry and Probability in the Hong Kong Institute of Education. This courseware provides an interactive, flexible, user-friendly environment where instructors and pre-service student teachers can use it for teaching or self-learning a variety of topics in the aforementioned areas of mathematics. The difficulties encountered in out design and implementation will be discussed. In addition, the evaluation of evaluation of feedback from student teachers and some expert users on using the trial version of our courseware will be included. We hope our findings will prove useful to other instructors who are interested in developing interactive mathematics courseware in their own institutions.