1,289 research outputs found
Theoretical frameworks for the learning of geometrical reasoning
No full textWith the growth in interest in geometrical ideas it is important to be clear about the nature of geometrical reasoning and how it develops. This paper provides an overview of three theoretical frameworks for the learning of geometrical reasoning: the van Hiele model of thinking in geometry, Fischbein’s theory of figural concepts, and Duval’s cognitive model of geometrical reasoning. Each of these frameworks provides theoretical resources to support research into the development of geometrical reasoning in students and related aspects of visualisation and construction. This overview concludes that much research about the deep process of the development and the learning of visualisation and reasoning is still needed
Michael Rodriguez interviews historian and author Keith Widder
No full textHistorian and author Keith Widder talks about his move to Michigan from Wisconsin, his career as Curator of History for the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, his research interests, his book "Michigan Agricultural College", and his current projects. Widder is interviewed by Michigan State University Librarian Michael Rodriguez for the MSU Libraries' Michigan Writers Series. Held in the MSU Main Library
Interview with Keith R. A. DeCandido
No full textTWC interviews Keith R. A. DeCandido, author of Supernatural tie-in novels Nevermore, Bone Key, and Heart of the Dragon
The shaping of student knowledge: learning with dynamic geometry software
No full textThe focus of this paper is a software genre usually referred to as ‘dynamic geometry’ because of the ability of the user to dynamically manipulate geometrical figures created with the software tool. Using data from a longitudinal study of 12-13 students’ use of dynamic geometry software, the focus of the analysis is on the interpretations the students make of geometrical objects and relationships when using this form of software. The analysis suggests that the students’ mathematical reasoning is shaped by their interactions with the software in that their ability to explain geometrical facts and relationships evolves from imprecise, ‘everyday’ expressions, through reasoning that is overtly mediated by the software environment, to mathematical explanations of the geometric situation that transcend the particular tool being used. Such findings suggest that curriculum initiatives that encourage the use of dynamic geometry software are appropriate but that the incorporation of such software into classroom practices is unlikely to be straightforward
Author Keith Widder reads from his book "Michigan Agricultural College : the evolution of a land-grant philosophy, 1855-1925" at the Michigan Writers Series
No full textAuthor and historian Keith Widder reads from his book "Michigan Agricultural College : the evolution of a land-grant philosophy, 1855-1925," and explains how he developed the idea of writing about the history of an agricultural college. Widder answers questions from the audience. The event is convened by Peter Berg, head of the Michigan State University Libraries' Special Collections. Part of the MSU Libraries' Michigan Writers Series. Held in the MSU Main Library
Lack of semantic parafoveal preview benefit in reading revisited
No full textIn contrast to earlier research, evidence for semantic preview benefit in reading has been reported by Hohenstein and Kliegl (Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 40, 166–190, 2013) in an alphabetic writing system; they also implied that prior demonstrations of lack of a semantic preview benefit needed to be reexamined. In the present article, we report a rather direct replication of an experiment reported by Rayner, Balota, and Pollatsek (Canadian Journal of Psychology, 40, 473–483, 1986). Using the gaze-contingent boundary paradigm, subjects read sentences that contained a target word (razor), but different preview words were initially presented in the sentence. The preview was identical to the target word (i.e., razor), semantically related to the target word (i.e., blade), semantically unrelated to the target word (i.e., sweet), or a visually similar nonword (i.e., razar). When the reader’s eyes crossed an invisible boundary location just to the left of the target word location, the preview changed to the target word. Like Rayner et al. (Canadian Journal of Psychology, 40, 473–483, 1986), we found that fixations on the target word were significantly shorter in the identical condition than in the unrelated condition, which did not differ from the semantically related condition; when an orthographically similar preview had been initially present in the sentence, fixations were shorter than when a semantically unrelated preview had been present. Thus, the present experiment replicates the earlier data reported by Rayner et al. (Canadian Journal of Psychology, 40, 473–483, 1986), indicating evidence for an orthographic preview benefit but a lack of semantic preview benefit in reading English
Transformations in 20th Century Mennonite Peacemaking - Dale Brown Book Award Lecture
No full textKeith Graber Miller, the editor of the 2012 Brown Book Award winner, Prophetic Peacemaking: Selected Writings of J. R. Burkholder, discusses J. R. Burkholder’s influence as an ethicist, church leader, and social change agent, placing him within the context of twentieth-century shifts in Mennonite peacemaking. Burkholder then offered comments in response to Graber Miller’s lecture. Keith Graber Miller is a professor of Bible, religion, and philosophy at Goshen College. He is the author or editor of five books and the contributor of chapters in more than a dozen books
Interview of turfgrass expert Dr. James Beard : February 26, 2003
No full textGift of Keith Widder.Turfgrass expert Dr. James Beard explains how and why he decided to specialize in turfgrass mangement. Beard describes numerous aspects of managing turfgrass and grasslands for parks, sports, and conservation, suitable types of turfgrass for various climates, and how climate change affects turgrass management. He talks about teaching and researching at Michigan State University and how the program has grown. Beard recounts the contributions of Michigan Agricultural College botanist W.J. Beal to the field of turfgrass research. Beard is interviewed by Michigan historian and author Keith Widder solidifying MSU as the strongest public repository of turfgrass literature in the world
The place of experimental tasks in geometry teaching: learning from the textbook designs of the early 20th century
Get PDFThe dual nature of geometry, in that it is a theoretical domain and an area of practical experience, presents mathematics teachers with opportunities and dilemmas. Opportunities exist to link theory with the everyday knowledge of pupils but the dilemmas are that learners very often find the dual nature of geometry a chasm that is very difficult to bridge. With research continuing to focus on understanding the nature of this problem, with a view to developing better pedagogical techniques, this paper examines the place of experimental tasks in the process of learning geometry. In particular, the paper provides some results from an analysis of innovative geometry textbooks designed in the early part of the 20th Century, a time when significant efforts were being made to improve the teaching and learning of geometry. The analysis suggests that experimental tasks have a vital role to play and that a potent tool for informing the design of such tasks, so that they build effectively on pupils’ geometrical intuition, is the notion of the geometrical eye, a term coined by Charles Godfrey in 1910 as “the power of seeing geometrical properties detach themselves from a figure"
Visualisation, imagery, and the development of geometrical reasoning
No full textThis report focuses on some aspects of the nature and role of visualisation and imagery in the teaching and learning of mathematics, particularly as a component in the development of geometrical reasoning. Issues briefly addressed include the relationship between imagery and perception, imagery and memory, the nature of dynamic images, and the interaction between imagery and concept development. The report concludes with a series of questions that may provide a suitable programme for research and lays the foundation for further work of the BSRLM geometry working group
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