A research team is calling on classroom teachers of maths to help with a rather crucial question: what do teachers need from researchers?

The team at the Loughborough University Mathematics Education Centre has put out a call for collaborators - and maths teachers can contribute their expertise until 20 September.

Classroom maths teachers can list up to 10 research questions concerned with teaching maths in school that could be relevant for them.

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After the responses are collated, participants will be invited to peer-review submissions using comparative judgement. Teachers will have the options to have their contribution acknowledged in the resulting paper.

The aim will be to inform the development of a programme of research for mathematics education that contributes to both improved theoretical understanding and improved practice.

The lead investigator for the project is Tom Francome, who before entering academia taught maths for many years and led a maths team that won the Tes Schools Award for ‘Maths Team of the Year’ in 2015.

Francome told Tes: “It’s often surprising and disappointing to teachers that research doesn’t answer the questions they have.

“I guess I’m interested in knowing whether teachers’ needs and interests are being addressed by researchers and this is an opportunity for teachers to have some say in setting the research agenda.”

“We’re now the biggest maths education research centre in the country thanks to our Research England funding so hope to be doing more to connect teachers and research going forward.”