2,129 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
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
Art, Biography, Sexuality: Patrick Procktor and Keith Vaughan
No full textThis critical review forms a reflection on the research published within the following publications:
Patrick Procktor: Art and Life (Unicorn Press, 2010)
Keith Vaughan: The Mature Oils 1946-1977, (Sansom & Co., 2012)
The research is on two artists, Patrick Procktor (1936-2003), and Keith Vaughan (1912-1977). The monograph on Procktor – previously one of the least documented of the generation of artists who came to prominence in London in the Sixties – positions him in a history of art from which he had been notably absent. The research on Vaughan asserts a new reading of his work, one that is both deeper and more nuanced in its analysis of the ways in which personal experience and sexuality are encoded autobiographically within his work. Crucially, in both artists biography and work are symbiotically linked; the research therefore examines the links between life and art.
Revisionary in intent, the work examines trajectories of experience of gay British (or rather, English) artists in the twentieth century, artists who sought to express themselves and forge careers within the constraints of a heteronormative society, albeit one in which attitudes to sexuality were undergoing change. As gay men, both were constrained by the social mores of their times, and each used painting as a means to affirm personal and sexual identities. A key research interest is in the ways in which sexuality and persona are reflected in critical responses to the artist’s work: in Vaughan, Procktor and other gay male artists of the period. The writing on both Procktor and Vaughan examines the relationship between their personal and professional/artistic lives, framed within a broader socio-political and art historical context. It asserts the place of biography as a means to understand and form new readings of the work. The work adds substantially to the literature and wider discourse on post-war British painting and social history
The mediation of mathematical learning through the use of pedagogical tools: a sociocultural analysis
No full textA sociocultural analysis suggests that pedagogical artifacts employed in the teaching and learning of mathematics both enable and constrain learning. This paper summarises three classroom studies of mathematics learning that have utilised a sociocultural approach. Each of the studies indicates how insight can be gained into the ways in which students attempt to make sense of the mathematics they encounter
Five smart city futures
No full textThis chapter offers a brief criminological introduction to the smart city and in particular some of the grandiose corporate and tech industry claims that regularly surround the concept of urban smartness. More specifically it outlines five putative ‘smart city futures’: 1) ‘The smart city as sociotechnical imaginary’; 2) ‘The smart city as corporate “play” space’; 3) ‘The smart city as militarised tech zone’; 4) ‘The smart city as cyborg city’; and finally, 5) ‘The smart city as adversarial surface’. Adopting the perspective of cultural criminology, the chapter poses a series of questions about the future of urban apace in ‘the age of the smart city’. In particular, it asks what will ‘living’ actually mean when urban life is ultimately defined and enforced by a computational system
Using imagery to solve spatial problems
No full textThis report focuses on the use of imagery to solve a range of spatial problems. The research projects reviewed in this report offer some insight into the range of strategies used by solvers of spatial problems and point to relationships between spatial and verbal skills
Acquiring abstract geometrical concepts: the interaction between the formal and the intuitive
No full textThe acquiring of formal, abstract mathematical concepts by students may be said to be one of the major goals of mathematics teaching. How are such abstract concepts acquired? How does this formal knowledge interact with the students' intuitive knowledge of mathematics? How does the transition from informal mathematical knowledge to formal mathematical knowledge take place? This paper reports on a research project which is examining the nature of the interaction and possible conflict between the formal and the intuitive components of mathematical activity. Details are presented of an initial study in which mathematics graduates, who could be considered to have acquired formal mathematical concepts, tackled a series of geometrical problems. The study indicates the complex nature of the interaction between formal and intuitive concepts of mathematics. The plans for the next stage in the research project are outlined
Density of potential foraging structures and pileated woodpecker foraging activity on Sun Pass State Forest: update to final report
No full textprincipal investigators, Catherine M. Raley (Wildlife Biologist); Keith B. Aubry, Ph.D. (Research Wildlife Biologist): USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3625 93rd Ave. SW, Olympia, WA 98512.Covers OCLC #1246554250, OCLC #1246554252, OCLC #1247383729.Title from PDF caption (viewed on April 19, 2021)."Collection Agreement No. PNW 03-CO-11261992-114."This archived document is maintained by the State Library of Oregon. It is for informational purposes and may not be suitable for legal purposes.Includes bibliographical references.Mode of access: Internet from the State Library of Oregon U.S. Government Publications Collection.Text in English
The process of re-designing the geometry curriculum: the case of the Mathematical Association in England in the early twentieth century
No full textThis paper examines a key period of change in geometry teaching in England. Our focus is the character and nature of the recommendations of the 1902 geometry report of the UK Mathematical Association. We analyse historical documents of the Mathematical Association using a theoretical framework informed by work in the sociology of education. Our analysis shows that the character and recommendations of the Mathematical Association report were influenced by various factors including: that Mathematical Association members at the time still respected the traditional Euclidean approach to geometry as a basis for school geometry; that the academic and ‘power’ resources available to the Mathematical Association at the time were not sufficient to enable a complete change from the traditional approach; that a lack of consensus between the various members of the Mathematical Association prevented a more radical proposal; and that the general climate in schools at that time was not prepared for far-reaching changes to the teaching of geometry. These findings accord with other research on educational reform which indicates that curriculum change processes are invariably complex and often subject to much politicking
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