National Science Foundation
Horizon Research, Inc. is collaborating with the Center for Developmental Science at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on the PEARL project to create an interdisciplinary team to: (1) study small group work in mathematics classrooms; (2) understand the challenges involved in promoting successful small groups; and (3) determine ways to help teachers deliver on the promise of group work. The team will integrate three conceptual frameworks—Mathematics Task, Mathematics Discourse Matrix, and Peer Cultures of Effort and Achievement—to understand the challenges involved in promoting successful small group learning environments. The PEARL study involves a carefully sequenced set of research phases to develop and test both a framework for understanding small group learning environments and strategies to help teachers support successful group work. Results of the study will inform teacher preparation and ongoing education, mathematics teaching practice, and educational research.