Kenneth Ruthven
Position/Status
Professor of Education
Chair of Science, Technology & Mathematics Education
Professorial Fellow of Hughes Hall
E-mail Address: kr18@cam.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1223 767600
Qualifications
BA [Hons], MA (Oxford) Mathematics
PGCertEd (Moray House) Secondary Mathematics Teaching
DipEd (Edinburgh) Education and Psychology
PhD (Stirling) Education
MA (Cambridge)
Membership of Professional Bodies/Associations
- American Educational Research Association
- British Educational Research Association
- British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics
- European Society for Research in Mathematics Education
- Association of Teachers of Mathematics
- Mathematical Association
- National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Profile
Kenneth Ruthven taught in schools in Scotland and England before joining the Faculty. His teaching and research focus on curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, especially in mathematics, and particularly in the light of technological change. His research and development projects have been carried out with support from agencies including the Economic and Social Research Council, the Nuffield Foundation, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, and the (former) National Council for Educational Technology. Information about current projects and publications from recent projects can be found below.
Ken(neth) is former Editor-in-Chief (and a current Advisory Editor) of the international research journal, Educational Studies in Mathematics; and recent Chair of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics (remaining an Advisory Editor of its journal, Research in Mathematics Education). He serves as Chair of Trustees of the (UK) curriculum development charity, the School Mathematics Project; and has a longstanding association with the (US) curriculum development project, Core-Plus Mathematics, as a member of its Advisory Board. Other Editorial Boards include: Education & Didactique; International Journal of Research and Method in Education; International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education; Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education; Journal of Science and Mathematics Education in Southeast Asia; Recherches en Didactique des Mathématiques.
Within the Faculty (and its predecessor Department), he has served as Deputy Head (1997/2002 and 2004/2007), Dean/Director of Research (2003/2007), Coordinator of Graduate Studies (1994/1997), and Coordinator of Initial Teacher Education (1990/1993).
Academic Groups/Areas
Course Involvement
- PGCE Secondary Mathematics Teaching
- MPhil/MEd Educational Research
- MPhil/MEd Mathematics Education
Research Topics
- Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; particularly in relation to mathematics.
- Educational use of new (and old) technologies; particularly in school mathematics.
- Teacher and student thinking; particularly relating to classroom practice and technology use.
Current Research Projects
Effecting Principled Improvement in STEM Education [epiSTEMe]: Student Engagement and Learning in Early Secondary-School Physical Science and Mathematics
Project funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council as part of its Targeted Research Inititative on Science and Mathematics Education, from August 2008 to January 2012. With Christine Howe, Neil Mercer, Keith Taber, Riikka Hofmann, Stefanie Luthman, & Fran Riga.
Applications invited for ESRC linked +3 Research Studentship for full-time PhD study.
Enhancing the Participation, Engagement and Achievement of Young People in Science and Mathematics Education
Special Issue of the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. To appear late 2010/early 2011. Co-edited with Michael Reiss.
Call for outline paper proposals: due by 31 July 2009.
Innovations in Mathematics Education [InnoMathEd]
Research-based professional development project funded by the EC Directorate General for Education and Culture as part of its Lifelong Learning Programme, from December 2008 to November 2010. Led by Volker Ulm with participating groups from 8 European countries.
Mathematical Knowledge in Teaching [MKiT]
Seminar series and resulting book production supported by the Nuffield Foundation from November 2006 to October 2010. With Tim Rowland and further colleagues from Cambridge and beyond.
Final report on seminar series.
Edited collection in preparation.
Associated researchers
Postdoctoral fellows
Wai Yi Feng (2009-2014): Understanding STEM enrichment worldwide and developing measures for its impact. (Royal Society Ogden Education Research Fellow)
Doctoral students (recently completed)
Wai Yi Feng (2009): Developing a framework for understanding mathematics enrichment in the UK. (ESRC studentship)
Liz Taylor (2009): The negotiation of distant place: learning about Japan at Key Stage 3.
Riikka Hofmann (2008): Ownership in learning: A sociocultural perspective on pupil engagement, collaboration and agency in the classroom. (Gates scholarship)
Leila Walker (2004): Teachers' perspectives on the successful use of resource-media in the lower-secondary science classroom. (ESRC studentship)
Eng Tek Ong (2004): The character of 'smart science teaching' in Malaysian schools and its influence on student achievement, process skills, and attitudes. (Commonwealth scholarship)
Sit Yuen Lee (2003): Teachers' perspectives and practices regarding graphic calculator use in the teaching and learning of advanced-level mathematics. (ESRC studentship)
Chrystalla Petridou (2003): Mathematics and science teachers' perceptions of ICT use in subject practice.
Doctoral students (prospective)
Informal enquiries are welcome from prospective doctoral students whose interests fall within the Research Topics listed above, particularly on the themes of the Research Projects or grouped Publications shown on this page. Do first consult the general information about PhD study in the Faculty to gain an overview of the doctoral programme and its admission requirements. Applications invited for ESRC linked +3 Research Studentship for PhD study.
Conferences (recent presentations)
AERA, April 2009: SIG/RME
An investigative lesson with dynamic geometry: A case study of key structuring features of technology integration in classroom practice. paper slides
AERA, April 2009: SIG/TACTL
Towards a naturalistic conceptualisation of technology integration in classroom practice: The example of school mathematics. paper slides
Publications (selected recent material grouped by topic)
Design of mathematics and science teaching
Ruthven, K., Laborde, C., Leach, J., & Tiberghien, A. (2009). Design tools in didactical research: Instrumenting the epistemological and cognitive aspects of the design of teaching sequences. Educational Researcher 38(5), 329-342. Offprint
Technology use and integration in secondary-school mathematics teaching
Ruthven, K. (2009). Towards a naturalistic conceptualisation of technology integration in classroom practice: The example of school mathematics. Education & Didactique 3(1), 131-152. Preprint
Ruthven, K., Deaney, R., & Hennessy, S. (2009). Using graphing software to teach about algebraic forms: A study of technology-supported practice in secondary-school mathematics. Educational Studies in Mathematics 71(3), 279-297. Preprint
Ruthven, K. (2008). The interpretative flexibility, instrumental evolution and institutional adoption of mathematical software in educational practice: The examples of computer algebra and dynamic geometry. Journal of Educational Computing Research 39(4), 379-394. Preprint
Ruthven, K. (2008). Mathematical technologies as a vehicle for intuition and experiment: A foundational theme of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction, and a continuing preoccupation. International Journal for the History of Mathematics Education 3(2), 91-102. Preprint
Ruthven, K., Hennessy, S., & Deaney, R. (2008). Constructions of dynamic geometry: A study of the interpretative flexibility of educational software in classroom practice. Computers and Education 51(1), 297-317 Preprint
Guin, D., Ruthven, K., & Trouche, L. (Eds.) (2005). The didactical challenge of symbolic calculators: Turning a computational device into a mathematical instrument (Springer, New York).
Ruthven, K. (2003/2004). Linking algebraic and geometric reasoning with dynamic geometry software. Reports to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Phase 1; Phase 2 (with Oldknow, A., Taylor, R., & others).
Ruthven, K. (2002). Instrumenting mathematical activity: Reflections on key studies of the educational use of computer algebra systems. International Journal of Computers for Mathematical Learning 7(3), 275-291. Preprint
Ruthven, K., & Hennessy, S. (2002). A practitioner model of the use of computer-based tools and resources to support mathematics teaching and learning. Educational Studies in Mathematics 49(1), 47-88. JSTOR link. Preprint
Technology use and integration in secondary-school science teaching
Hennessy, S., Deaney, R., Ruthven, K., & Winterbottom, M. (2007). Pedagogical strategies for using the interactive whiteboard to foster learner participation in school science. Learning, Media and Technology 32(3), 283-301. Preprint
Hennessy, S., Wishart, J., Whitelock, D., Deaney, R., Brawn, R., la Velle, L., McFarlane, A., Ruthven, K. & Winterbottom, M. (2007). Pedagogical approaches for technology-integrated science teaching. Computers and Education 48(1), 137-152. Preprint
Ong, E.T., & Ruthven, K. (2007). ICT practices in Malaysian Smart and mainstream schools. Malaysian Journal of Educational Technology 7(1), 47-58.
Deaney, R., Hennessy, S., & Ruthven, K. (2006). Teachers' strategies for making effective use of datalogging in secondary science lessons. School Science Review 88 (323), 103-110. Offprint
Hennessy, S., Deaney, R., & Ruthven, K. (2006). Situated pedagogy for integrating use of multimedia simulation into secondary science teaching. International Journal of Science Education 28(7), 701-732.
Technology use and integration in teaching across the secondary-school curriculum
Deaney, R., Ruthven, K., & Hennessy, S. (2006). Teachers' developing 'practical theories' of the contribution of information and communication technologies to subject teaching and learning: An analysis of cases from English secondary schools. British Educational Research Journal 32(3), 459-480. Preprint
Ruthven, K., Hennessy, S., & Deaney, R. (2005). Incorporating Internet resources into classroom practice: Pedagogical perspectives and strategies of secondary-school subject teachers. Computers and Education 44(1), 1-34. Preprint
Hennessy, S., Deaney, R., & Ruthven, K. (2005). Emerging teacher strategies for mediating technology-integrated instructional conversations: A socio-cultural perspective. The Curriculum Journal 16(3), 265-292.
Hennessy, S., Ruthven, K., & Brindley, S. (2005). Teacher perspectives on integrating ICT into subject teaching: Commitment, constraints, caution and change. Journal of Curriculum Studies 37(2), 155-192. Preprint
Ruthven, K., Hennessy, S., & Brindley, S. (2004). Teacher representations of the successful use of computer-based tools and resources in secondary-school English, Mathematics and Science. Teaching and Teacher Education 20(3), 259-275. Preprint
Deaney, R., Ruthven, K., & Hennessy, S. (2003). Pupil perspectives on the contribution of information and communication technology to teaching and learning in the secondary school. Research Papers in Education 18(2), 141-165. Preprint
Calculator use and integration in primary-school mathematics teaching
Ruthven, K. (2009). Towards a calculator-aware mathematics curriculum. Mediterranean Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 8(1), 111-124. Preprint
Ruthven, K. (2001). Towards a new numeracy: The English experience of a 'calculator-aware' number curriculum. In J. Anghileri (Ed.) Principles and Practice in Arithmetic Teaching (Open University Press, Buckingham) pp. 165-188.
Ruthven, K. (1999). The pedagogy of calculator use. In I. Thompson (Ed.) Issues in Teaching Numeracy in Primary Schools (Open University Press, Buckingham) pp. 195-206.
Ruthven, K. (1998). The use of mental, written and calculator strategies of numerical computation by upper-primary pupils within a 'calculator-aware' number curriculum. British Educational Research Journal 24(1), 21-42. JSTOR link
Ruthven, K., Rousham, L., & Chaplin, D. (1997). The long-term influence of a 'calculator-aware' number curriculum on pupils' mathematical attainments and attitudes in the primary phase. Research Papers in Education 12(3), 249-282.
Ruthven, K., & Chaplin, D. (1997). The calculator as a cognitive tool: Upper-primary pupils tackling a realistic number problem. International Journal of Computers for Mathematical Learning 2(2), 93-124.
Linking research, policy and practice in mathematics education
Ruthven, K. (2008). Reflexivity, effectiveness, and the interaction of researcher and practitioner worlds: A reflection on Bishop's "Research, Effectiveness, and the Practitioners' World" in the light of a quarter-century of systemic improvement effort in English mathematics education. In P. Clarkson & N. Presmeg (Eds.) Critical Issues in Mathematics Education: Major Contributions of Alan Bishop (Springer, New York). Preprint
Ruthven, K. , & Goodchild, S. (2008). Linking researching with teaching: Towards synergy of scholarly and craft knowledge [revised and extended version]. In L. English (Ed.) Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education, Second Edition (Routledge, New York) pp. 561-588.
Ruthven, K. (2005). Towards a normal science of mathematics education? In M. H. G. Hoffmann, J. Lenhard, & F. Seeger (Eds.) Activity and Sign – Grounding Mathematics Education. (Springer, New York) pp. 153-158. Preprint
Ruthven, K. (2005). Improving the development and warranting of good practice in teaching. Cambridge Journal of Education 35(3), 407-426.
Ruthven, K. (2002). Linking researching with teaching: Towards synergy of scholarly and craft knowledge. In L. English (Ed.) Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education (Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah NJ) pp. 581-598. ICME link
Ruthven, K. (2001). Mathematics teaching, teacher education and educational research: Developing 'practical theorising' in initial teacher education. In F.-L. Lin & T. Cooney (Eds.) Making Sense of Mathematics Teacher Education (Kluwer, Dordrecht) pp. 165-183.
Ruthven, K. (1999). Reconstructing professional judgement in mathematics education: From good practice to warranted practice. In C. Hoyles, C. Morgan & G. Woodhouse (Eds.) Rethinking the Mathematics Curriculum (Falmer, London) pp. 203-216.
Earlier highlights
Ruthven, K. (1996). Calculators in the mathematics curriculum: The scope of personal computational technology. In A. Bishop, K. Clements, C. Keitel, J. Kilpatrick & C. Laborde (Eds.) International Handbook of Mathematics Education (Kluwer, Dordrecht) pp. 435-468.
Ruthven, K. (1995). Pupils' views of number work and calculators. Educational Research 37(3), 229-37.
Ruthven, K. (1995). Beyond common sense: Reconceptualizing National Curriculum assessment. The Curriculum Journal 6(1), 5-28.
Ruthven, K. (1994). Better judgement: Rethinking assessment in mathematics education. Educational Studies in Mathematics 27(4), 433-450. JSTOR link
Ruthven, K. & Coe, R. (1994). A structural analysis of students' epistemic views. Educational Studies in Mathematics 27(1), 101-109. JSTOR link
Coe, R. & Ruthven, K. (1994). Proof practices and constructs of advanced mathematics students. British Educational Research Journal 20(1), 41-53. JSTOR link
Ruthven, K. (1990). The influence of graphic calculator use on translation from graphic to symbolic forms. Educational Studies in Mathematics 21(5), 431-450. JSTOR link
Ruthven, K. (1989). An exploratory approach to advanced mathematics. Educational Studies in Mathematics 20(4), 449-467. JSTOR link
Ruthven, K. (1987). Ability stereotyping in mathematics. Educational Studies in Mathematics 18(3), 243-253. JSTOR link