WIP: Bridging the Gap Between Instructional Design and Pedagogical Use: A Framework for Mathematics Educators

2026-06-18

AI Summary

This study addresses the disconnect between the design and classroom implementation of digital mathematics instructional resources, which stems from the absence of systematic selection criteria grounded in learning theory. To bridge this gap, the work proposes a novel, multidimensional, and extensible metadata framework that operationalizes core principles of learning theory—such as prior knowledge, representational formats, and conceptual construction—into observable and actionable metadata dimensions. By structuring the pedagogical characteristics of digital resources, with particular emphasis on their conceptual organization, this framework enables educators to select and integrate materials more systematically and effectively. It thereby establishes both a theoretical and technical foundation for the development of intelligent teacher support systems.

Abstract

Despite the wide availability of digital resources for teaching mathematics, their effectiveness still depends on selection and integration processes that often lack explicit pedagogical criteria. This condition reveals a gap between the instructional design of resources and their pedagogical use in the classroom. To address this gap, this work advances the operationalization of learning theories through observable pedagogical variables. The proposed contribution translates principles derived from learning theories into dimensions and variables structured as metadata, thereby enabling the characterization of digital resources for teacher-support systems in mathematics education. Drawing on a literature review that evidences the limited operationalization of these theories in educational technology, the paper proposes a multidimensional structure. It then focuses on one of these dimensions: the conceptual structure of content. Specifically, it shows how aspects such as prior knowledge, representation, and conceptual construction can be represented as metadata to support the pedagogically informed selection and integration of digital resources.

Problem

• instructional design
• pedagogical use
• digital resources
• mathematics education
• learning theories

Innovation

• learning theories
• pedagogical variables
• metadata framework
• conceptual structure
• digital resources