The IEA Research for Educators series welcomes its fourth volume, Teaching and Learning Mathematics with Meaning: Using and Applying TIMSS.
The book was launched today at the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Conference 2026, where authors Professor Jennie Golding and Dr. Rachel Marks from University College London discussed the new publication in a symposium alongside colleagues.
This open-access volume explores how TIMSS data, frameworks, and released assessment items can be used to support meaning-making in mathematics teaching and learning. It highlights how mathematics extends beyond classroom exercises and calculations, encouraging learners to transfer their mathematical knowledge and apply it meaningfully across a range of contexts.
Designed for teachers and teacher educators, this book offers educators practical, research-informed approaches to strengthening conceptual understanding, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving skills, while translating international evidence into effective classroom practice.
Open-access resources
This volume is accompanied by several open-access resources, bringing together research, practical guidance, and classroom-tested examples from six education systems around the world.
The accompanying Teacher Snippet, Using TIMSS to Teach Mathematics with Meaning: Why “Mathematics with Meaning?”, offers practical guidance on promoting meaningful mathematics learning using a released TIMSS item. The classroom task featured encourages students to employ reasoning and consider different approaches.
Additionally, two ready-to-use classroom materials are available for download: one for Grades 3–6 and one for Grades 6–10. The materials include a selection of tasks from TIMSS mathematics assessments, covering a range of content and levels of difficulty. Each item is accompanied by didactic notes explaining what makes each task challenging for students and offering practical approaches for using the items directly in classroom practice.
Hear more from the authors
Hear directly from authors Jennie Golding and Rachel Marks in an upcoming podcast with European Schoolnet, where they will discuss the new volume and its practical applications for teaching and learning mathematics. A link to the podcast will be added once available.
Discover the IEA Research for Educators series
The IEA Research for Educators series seeks to bridge the gap between education research and educational practice, connecting evidence from large-scale assessments with practical examples and instructional materials.
Volume 3, Experiencing Democracy in the Classroom, explores how educators can foster democratic learning through teaching practices, school culture, and community engagement.
Volume 2, Teaching Reading Comprehension in a Digital World, offers educators practical, evidence-based strategies for teaching reading comprehension with digital texts.
Volume 1, Putting PIRLS to Use in Classrooms Across the Globe, contains didactic teaching approaches from across the globe to improve reading skills.
All books in the series are available open-access via Springer.
Translate and spread
We warmly welcome initiatives to translate the new book and/or the accompanying Teacher Snippet into different languages to promote accessibility for teachers in classrooms around the world. If your organization is interested in adapting any of our teacher resources for national use, please contact the Communications team at IEA Amsterdam.