1,721,154 research outputs found
Data modelling in the beginning school years
No full textThis paper argues for a renewed focus on statistical reasoning in the beginning school years, with opportunities for children to engage in data modelling. Some of the core components of data modelling are addressed. A selection of results from the first data modelling activity implemented during the second year (2010; second grade) of a current longitudinal study are reported. Data modelling involves investigations of meaningful phenomena, deciding what is worthy of attention (identifying complex attributes), and then progressing to organising, structuring, visualising, and representing data. Reported here are children's abilities to identify diverse and complex attributes, sort and classify data in different ways, and create and interpret models to represent their data
An exploration of young students' ability to generalise function tasks
No full textThe Early Years Generalising Project involves Australian students, Years 1-4 (age 5-9), and explores how the students grasp and express generalisations. This paper focuses on the data collected from clinical interviews with Year 3 and 4 cohorts in an investigative study focusing on the identifications, prediction and justification of function rules. It reports on students' attempts to generalise from function machine contexts, describing the various ways students express generalisation and highlighting the different levels of justification given by students. Finally, we conjecture that there are a set of stages in the expression and justification of generalisations that assist students to reach generality within tasks
"What's the problem?" One teacher's response to conflict in an early childhood classroom
No full textScholars in Context: Prospects and Transitions is an edited collection of papers from Face to Face, the 1996 University of Queensland Graduate School of Education Postgraduate Conference. It presents current research undertaken in one of Australia's largest and leading centres for postgraduate research in education.\ud
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The book is divided into three sections: classrooms through different lenses, in which a variety of classroom related issues are addressed through a range of frameworks; the big picture: global issues, which provides national and international perspectives on policy and cultural issues in a range of education sectors; and framing the individual: perspectives and insights, which includes different strands of research into individuals' development in the context of families and schools.\ud
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Scholars in Context: Prospects and Transitions demonstrates how current researchers maintain a commitment to innovation and rigour, despite the current uncertainties that bedevil higher education. The work presented here makes a significant contribution to many fields of education research. The range of issues this collection addresses, the variety of theoretical and analytical perspectives adopted, and the scholarship evidenced in each contribution, make this text a valuable compendium of very recent work in education research
Chinese young children’s strategies on basic addition facts
No full textKindergartens in China offer structured full-day programs for children aged 3-6. Although formal schooling\ud
does not commence until age 7, the mathematics program in kindergartens is specifically focused on\ud
developing young children’s facility with simple addition and subtraction. This study explored young Chinese\ud
children’s strategies for solving basic addition facts as well as their intuitive understanding of addition via\ud
interview methods. Results indicate a strong impact that teacher-directed teaching methods have on young\ud
children’s cognitions in relation to addition
Interdisciplinary problem solving : a focus on engineering experiences
No full textWe are facing a serious skills shortage in mathematics, science and engineering - our efforts to remain globally competitive will be severely hampered if this shortage continues. Numerous recent calls for improving students' learning in these disciplines and for raising our nation's levels of innovation and creativity have been made. In response, this discussion paper argues for a future-oriented interdisciplinary approach to mathematical problem solving, one that draws upon engineering. Consideration is given to engineering as a problem solving domain, the interdisciplinary knowledge and processes that are fostered, and the role of mathematical modelling in solving engineering-based problems. An example of such a problem for the primary/middle school is analysed
Mixing colours: An ICT tool based on a semiotic framework for mathematical meaning-makng about ratio and fractions
No full textThis paper reports on the research and development of an ICT tool to facilitate the learning of ratio\ud
and fractions by adult prisoners. The design of the ICT tool was informed by a semiotic framework for\ud
mathematical meaning-making. The ICT tool thus employed multiple semiotic resources including\ud
topological, typological, and social-actional resources. The results showed that individual semiotic resource\ud
could only represent part of the mathematical concept, while at the same time it might signify something\ud
else to create a misconception. When multiple semiotic resources were utilised the mathematical ideas\ud
could be better learnt
Mixing colours : an ICT tool based on a semiotic framework for mathematical meaning-making about ratio and fractions
No full textThis paper reports on the research and development of an ICT tool to facilitate the learning of ratio and fractions by adult prisoners. The design of the ICT tool was informed by a semiotic framework for mathematical meaning-making. The ICT tool thus employed multiple semiotic resources including topological, typological, and social-actional resources. The results showed that individual semiotic resource could only represent part of the mathematical concept, while at the same time it might signify something else to create a misconception. When multiple semiotic resources were utilised the mathematical ideas could be better learnt
Advancing Mathematics Education Research within a STEM Environment
No full textIn presenting the final chapter for this RiME book, I first give consideration to the official curriculum and the operational curriculum as a basis for exploring how we might advance mathematics education research within our STEM environment. Next, I present an overview of some of the core features of the current national and international spotlight on STEM education. From this basis, I argue that the roles and positioning of mathematics are in danger of being overlooked or diminished within the increased STEM framework. As one approach to lifting the profile of mathematics, I explore problem solving and modelling across STEM contexts. In utilising findings from the chapter reviews together with my own research, I offer suggestions for (a) developing content and processes through idea-generating problems, (b) promoting in-depth content understanding, and (c) fostering general skills and processes. Next, I address the advancement of modelling across STEM contexts and illustrate this with a problem set within an environmental engineering context. I conclude by offering a few avenues for further research
An investigation of the impact of an industry-focused gender intervention on the self-perceptions and career aspirations of female undergraduate students in the STEM disciplines.
No full textThis study investigates the impact of a university female awards program (WiSTEM2D
Program) on female science, technology, engineering and mathematics students’ confidence
levels and career aspirations. Previous research suggests that positive self-efficacy,
confidence in academic abilities, and positive attitudes are important factors that affect the
persistence of women in STEM fields. Globally there is huge investment in initiatives that
support females in STEM, however few studies have focused on how these programs impact
females’ self-perceptions and career aspirations. Bronfenbrenner’s (1989) Ecological
Systems Theory was applied and conceptualised to identify the influences on participating
students. In this study, the spheres of influence are hypothesized to be society, university,
family and peers, and the individual learner. A case study approach was adopted, and
participants (30) completed surveys before and after engaging with the program. Focus
groups (n = 13) and interviews (n = 11) were also conducted. The findings suggest that
female students feel self-doubt, and that large class sizes and male dominated environments
negatively affect their confidence. Female students commented that engaging with the
WiSTEM²D program developed their STEM career knowledge and facilitated the
development of their STEM networks. The findings provide support for female awards
programs at university level. As STEM initiatives now target groups underrepresented in this
domain, it is important the environments these students enter in higher education does not
limit their potential to succeed
Mapping the territory:Using second-person interviewing techniques to narratively explore the lived experience of becoming a mathematics teacher educator
Full text linkThe first transition to developing as a university mathematics teacher educa-tor, from being a mathematics teacher in school, is often to work locally or na-tionally with cross-school groups of teachers on curriculum development or for professional development, sometimes also observing the teaching of others. This chapter, through in-depth interviews using an extension of Petitmengin’s second-person interview protocol, tells the narrative of Alistair, one mathematics teach-er’s learning in becoming a mathematics teacher educator (MTE) as he leaves the classroom to work in professional development with groups of practising teachers. Two other MTEs, Tracy and Toby, use straplines, identified by Alistair, to tell their own stories of transition without interviews. There are differences between being a mathematics teacher and an MTE particularly in setting up the culture of working on mathematics and in what the individual teacher/teacher educator is listening for
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