This study investigates resource use by upper-secondary mathematics teachers in the context of collaborative planning. A thematic content analysis is conducted on audio-recorded teacher discussions in order to find out what resources are used by the teachers, how they are used, and for what reasons. The findings show that although teachers use a variety of resources to support their instructional enactment as well as instructional design, there is a difference in how they use different resources to support different planning practices. For instructional design, curriculum resources provide support for the mathematical content, while social resources, self-generated documents, and cognitive resources provide support for the design of instructional activities. Authority is given by teachers to curriculum resources, but conflicts of authority emerge in discussions, when teachers’ abilities to exert their agency are not supported by curriculum resources. We discuss the findings in relation to authority and resource use, as well as for established conceptualizations of resources. The findings bear practical implications for the design of curriculum resources.

This article presents a systematic review of research on the teaching and learning of quadratic equations. A configurative approach to qualitatively synthesize research was employed, searching four databases: Scopus, Web of Science, PsycInfo, and ERIC. A total of 38 papers (26 journal articles and 12 conference papers) with empirical findings from mostly secondary school students, ages 13–17, across multiple countries, were included. Findings from research on teaching show that geometry-aided approaches, specific to quadratic equations for factoring and completing the square, show promise for promoting understanding and interest. Forms of instruction being general or using technology also indicate positive findings; however, evidence remains limited. Studies on learning identified several issues corresponding to concepts and methods for solving quadratic equations, many due to lacking pre-requisite knowledge. These were framed as lacking flexibility, having non-relational types of understandings, or being due to student properties and instructional context. Proposed implications from research for teaching showed specific instruction to be included, that teaching should focus on conceptual understanding, that planning instruction should be informed by student thinking, and that curriculum could be adjusted for long-term coherence. Combining these findings, mastering quadratic equations requires developing flexible knowledge by connecting multiple solution strategies with conceptual understanding, supported by teaching that links concepts to procedures through varied examples, formative assessment, and visual or technological aids. The implications of this review for practice include informing teaching and development of instructional resources while considering local context. Future research should examine effects of instructional approaches targeting specific aspects of quadratic equations.

In this paper, the process of designing a teacher guide for quadratic equations is described. In specific, how educative features together with contextual factors influence the design process of the teacher guide. The results indicate that this is an iterative two-way process between designing educative and contextual features, and that using features to guide the design is a productive way forward. Further, taking the research findings on quadratic equations as a starting point in the design had implications on the process of designing different features. Implications for designs of topic-centred teacher guides are suggested in the paper.

This paper reports on an exploratory study in which upper-secondary school mathematics teachers used an experimental research-based teacher guide for the topic of quadratic equations as a supplement in their planning and teaching practice. A survey and semi-structured interviews were used as data-generating instruments. Building on data from six teachers, a map of the use was constructed qualitatively. From this map, categories of affordances and constraints perceived by teachers in relation to the teacher guide content features, and types of mobilizations were constructed. The main finding on this use is that lesson activities that were perceived as having a variety of affordances were mobilized to a greater extent than other features. The role of research and context for this use is discussed.