University of Bremen - News

Prof. Rita Borromeo Ferri & Prof. Dr. Andreas Meister at the Mathematics Colloquium

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:41:56 +0100

Prof. Rita Borromeo Ferri and Prof. Dr. Andreas Meister from the University of Kassel will talk at the Mathematics Colloquium on 14 January 2026, beginning at 1600h in room MZH 5600. Their talk is titled "Mathematical modelling as a bridge between school, industry and research".

New research paper by Aylin Thomaneck, Maike Vollstedt and Maike Schindler

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:10:00 +0100

The study is based on an eye-tracking study with ninth graders. The full article is available open access at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13138-025-00264-w

Prof. Alice Lemmo at the Mathematics Colloquium

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 14:43:52 +0100

Abstract: Written mathematical tests are traditionally associated with summative assessment, aimed at certifying students’ achievement. However, recent research highlights the potential of such tests to support formative assessment when their design and analysis focus on providing meaningful feedback for both teachers and learners. In this talk, I will discuss a set of design principles and interpretative tools for written mathematics tests that can enhance their formative function. Drawing on classroom-based studies, I will illustrate how data from students’ responses can be systematically analysed to produce feedback that supports teachers in three key functions of formative assessment: feed up (clarifying learning intentions and success criteria), feedback (identifying students’ current understanding), and feed forward (informing instructional decisions and next steps).

Joint game night

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 13:20:00 +0100

In a relaxed atmosphere filled with pizza and good vibes, everyday university life quickly faded into the background. The focus shifted to conversation, laughter, and playing games together. The luck-based game Flip7 provided a relaxed start and the first moments of success. Then, Castle Combo, which required strategic thinking, was played. Players used their tactical skills to try to assemble the best possible population for their castle or to snatch decisive figures away from their opponents. The evening concluded with the cooperative game Bomb Busters, in which participants showcased their nerves of steel and teamwork skills while successfully defusing several bombs. Game night was a lot of fun for everyone and sparked the desire to do it again soon.

New look for our news section

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:07:00 +0100

The old news section can still be found here.

Dr. Sara Bagossi at the Mathematics Colloquium

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 09:59:47 +0100

Abstract: Mathematical discussion is an essential formative moment in classroom practices for developing skills related to the meaning of mathematics education: understanding why things work, posing and solving problems, developing critical arguments. In the digital age, introducing mathematical discussions into the classroom presents new challenges: selecting “good” mathematical problems, integrating digital tools, and fostering students’ participation and inclusion. In this talk, I would like to share the results of some studies and projects I have collaborated on, which focus on mathematical discussion in secondary school. After providing an overview of the various teaching configurations connoting mathematical discussions, I will focus on the role of digital tools and the teacher's didactic performance in supporting meaningful mathematical discussions.

Thomas Janßen wins funding by the University of Bremen Foundation

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:49:00 +0100

On January 28, Thomas Janßen presented his project: Using easy-to-install traffic counters, students and, in the future, schoolchildren will be able to record how much traffic passes through their street, how fast it is traveling, and how people are getting around. This quickly makes statistical questions socially relevant—how can it be that half of the cars in a 30 km/h zone are speeding? Why do more or fewer people use bicycles?

The audience and jury liked the idea so much that this project is now one of ten being funded by the University of Bremen Foundation and can be implemented in the summer semester of 2026.

Our working group at the GDM conference 2026 in Wuppertal

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:12:25 +0100

The GDM conference offers a wide-ranging, multifaceted, and inspiring program, both in terms of scientific conference contributions and the supporting program. Our working group will also be represented among a large number of participants. Christine Knipping, Ingolf Schäfer, Fiene Bredow, Luisa Gunia, Martin Ohrndorf, and Angelika Bikner-Ahsbahs will present the latest results of their research.

Further information on the conference program can be found here.

We look forward to the discussions and to seeing our colleagues again in Wuppertal!

Plenary lecture by Fiene Bredow at national conference

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:54:56 +0100

Entitled “The role of teachers in mathematical reasoning in the classroom: an interpretative perspective”, her lecture on 5 March will address the question of how teachers' actions frame mathematical reasoning processes in the classroom. From the perspective of interpretative classroom research, she reconstructs what (supportive) actions by teachers look like in everyday classroom practice. In doing so, she highlights that these actions can have a constructive effect on mathematical reasoning processes, but can also be “disruptive” and thus potentially hinder the development of sound and productive mathematical reasoning.

GDM Conference 2026 in Wuppertal

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:16:16 +0100

The GDM conference offered a broad, multifaceted, and inspiring program, both in terms of academic conference presentations and the supporting program. The following contributions came from the Mathematics Education Working Group at the University of Bremen:

Keynote lecture by Fiene Bredow titled “The Role of Teachers in Mathematical Argumentation in the Classroom: An Interpretive Perspective”
Presentation by Christine Knipping and Fiene Bredow in “Minisymposium 03: Proof and Argumentation Processes” titled “How Students Adapt Teachers’ Actions in Mathematical Argumentation in the Classroom”
Presentation by Luisa Gunia and Christine Knipping in “Minisymposium 03: Proof and Argumentation Processes” titled “Indirect Argumentation – (Natural) Contradictions in Argumentation with States and Their Changes”
Individual presentation by Christine Knipping, Luisa Gunia, and Matthias Knauer titled “Transfer through Modeling in Industrial Mathematical Contexts as Part of the #MOIN_ResearchDays”
Individual presentation by Ingolf Schäfer and Christine Knipping titled “Reconstructing the Concept of Mathematical Modeling”
Individual presentation by Angelika Bikner-Ahsbahs and Marit Hvalsøe Schou titled “Formula and Structure: How a Virtual-Haptic Artifact System Supports the Derivation of a Formula”
Individual presentation by Matthias Knippers, Martin Ohrndorf, Sina Wetzel, Julia Marie Stechemesser, and Lia Brüggemeyer titled “15 Years of International Research on Videos for Mathematics: Explaining, Learning, YouTube—A Matter of Perspective?”
Chair of “Mini-Symposium 20: Explanatory Videos for Teaching and Learning Mathematics” by Hannes Eirund, Martin Ohrndorf, and David Schwarzkopf

The contributions will be published in the conference proceedings Beiträge zum Mathematikunterricht 2026 by WTM-Verlag and online as a service of the IEEM at TU Dortmund University.

Lecture “Paths to the Locked Castle: The Mathematics of Climbing Stairs” at the 2026 Children’s University

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:35:00 +0200

Over 200 children in grades 3 through 5 from Bremen and the surrounding area were asked how many ways there are to climb a staircase with 13 steps, assuming only single or double steps are allowed. (Such step patterns are used to secure access to the castle of the Secret Society Fibonacci.) In the process, they were able to discover a recursive relationship, which states, among other things, that this number is exactly the sum of the possibilities for climbing a staircase with 11 steps or 12 steps. The numbers that result correspond to the Fibonacci numbers (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, …). These same numbers are also found in nature, for example in pineapples, sunflowers, pine cones, or snail shells. The organizers—Maike Vollstedt, Christoph Duchhardt, Anwaril Hamidy, Martin Ohrndorf, and Aylin Thomaneck—were delighted by the interested students who participated very actively in both lectures.