1,720,958 research outputs found
Human performance on the single-row facility layout problem
No full textDaniela SteflitschDiplomarbeit Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt 201
Math teachers' visions of an ideal math class: What do they tell about bringing innovations into the classroom?
No full textInternational audienceVarious social and political factors within the school environment influence how teachers ultimately design their teaching and also their motivation to bring innovation into the classroom. The paper presents results of math teacher interviews about their vision of ideal mathematics teaching. From these answers, conclusions can be drawn about teachers' potential for bringing innovation into the classroom and the factors that might hinder them. Three different types have been derived, with varying levels of motivation to participate in in-service teacher training and to further develop the teaching. Teachers that like to teach in the way "it has always been done" show the least potential, in contrast to the idealists among teachers, who align their teaching with their high standards to design lessons that they believe best for their students' learning. To narrow the theory-praxis gap, the focus should be on the third type of teacherthe struggling oneswho need support to stay true to their ideals and to avoid adapting to more traditional patterns
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Critical mathematics education in the classroom : Exploring effects of in-school teacher training on different scholastic levels Daniela Steflitsch
No full textThis study reports on how teachers and students experience the practical implementation of critical mathematics education (CME) within everyday teaching. The overarching aim of the study was to investigate the effects of bringing critical mathematics approaches into the classroom. A year-long close collaboration with 9 mathematics teachers through a special profes-sional development format served as the basis for the project. I designed and planned the professional development meetings that aimed at collectively elaborating the concept of critical mathematics education and possible practical realizations for their mathemat-ics classes. On the one hand, the thesis involves theoretical considerations about why it seems important to enhance critical education. On the other hand, the empirical part of the thesis mainly focuses on how students experienced the implementation of CME tasks, a perspective that is rarely the focus of examination. Data collection involved recordings of meetings with teachers, pre- and post-interviews with both teachers and students, classroom observations and my research diary. Besides demonstrating the diverse areas that can be challenging for teachers, the findings of the project can contribute to a better understanding of how students perceive this way of teaching mathematics. An analysis of their pre- and post-interview data revealed three broad themes that students addressed in their reflections: they either discussed the mathematics involved, the context or societal topic, or social aspects within the class-room. In general, students’ perceptions on CME lessons varied greatly, even within the same class. An in depth-analysis of how students engaged with socio-political issues in the mathematics classroom demonstrated that the this presents complexities, including diverse student opinions, the need for balanced facilitation to avoid bias, and the question of mathematics’ education capacity to comprehensively address social topics. This emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Additionally, this analysis highlighted the influence of students’ backgrounds and experiences on their engagement with sociopolitical issues. In homogeneous settings, students may struggle to recognize systemic injustices, what, on the one hand, places challenges for the teacher to point to essential aspects without influencing, and, on the other hand, underscores the need for students to engage with such tasks. By focusing on the mathematical aspect within CME, a task analysis along content and cognitive domains revealed their alignment with curricular demands, and their focus on fostering mathematical reasoning and communication skills. As students’ perceptions about the mathematics used diverged greatly from potential competencies that the tasks can promote, it emphasizes that teachers’ and students’ perceptions of what counts as mathematical activity play a significant role in understanding the efficacy of CME tasks in fulfilling educational objectives. This emphasizes the need for collaborative reflection of intended learning goals in the classroom. The findings of the study suggest implications and raise questions on various levels. The great variety of students’ perceptions underscored the complexity of implementing CME. As CME is not just about bringing different tasks to the mathematics classroom that involve out of school context, we need to think about effective models for both pre-service and in-service teacher training if we want an implementation happening on a broader scale. Exploring alternative approaches for implementation like interdisciplinary subjects that allow for an explicit interdisciplinary focus without needing to fulfil purely subject-related demands can bring valuable insights into other potential models for implementation. Ultimately, the findings indicate the necessity to examining implementation approaches in various contexts as they yield diverse challenges and to explicitly focus on the students’ perspectives. Longitudinal studies can provide deeper insights into the lasting im-pacts of CME on students' attitudes and learning outcomes over timeDissertation Universität Klagenfurt 202
Experimentando la educación matemática crítica: Cambios en las perspectivas de los estudiantes sobre la relevancia de las matemáticas
No full textWhen students ponder why they consider it relevant to learn math it becomes apparent that their attributions of relevance do not meet what educational policies state as goals. While they generally consider the subject to be important, their explanations why they do so are limited to only elementary mathematical skills needed in everyday life or unspecified skills for later work life, rarely connecting them to broader societal topics. Integrating Critical Mathematics Education (CME) tasks into math lessons might be a chance to let attributions of relevance evolve further. This contribution shows in how far the students’ perspectives on the relevance of math changed after they experienced several CME units. 16 students from three different schools have participated in two rounds of interviews where they have been asked about their image of math and math learning and if and what they consider relevant. Within the second round of interviews, after they experienced several CME units, additional questions about their experiences in these lessons have been added. The analysis shows that students’ general attribution of relevance did not change considerably. However, effects could be identified in their reflections about the CME units. Students talked about how these units let them experience a connection between math and societal topics that leads to a more personal and direct relevance of math for their lives. However, their understanding of what counts as doing math might hinder them to easily transfer their experiences within these units to their general attributions of relevance of math. If teachers regularly include CME tasks into their math lessons and make reflections on what mathematical activities have been applied to make sense of them an integral part of instruction, CME seems to offer the opportunity for students to broaden their conceptions of math and experience connections between math and societal topics more clearly.Quando os alunos ponderam por que consideram relevante aprender matemática, fica evidente que suas atribuições de relevância não atendem às metas estabelecidas pelas políticas educacionais. Embora, em geral, considerem a disciplina importante, suas explicações para isso se limitam apenas a habilidades matemáticas elementares necessárias na vida cotidiana ou a habilidades não especificadas para a vida profissional posterior, raramente relacionando-as a tópicos sociais mais amplos. A integração de tarefas de Educação Matemática Crítica (EMC) nas aulas de matemática pode ser uma chance de permitir que as atribuições de relevância evoluam ainda mais. Esta contribuição mostra até que ponto as perspectivas dos alunos sobre a relevância da matemática mudaram depois que eles passaram por várias unidades de EMC. 16 alunos de três escolas diferentes participaram de duas rodadas de entrevistas em que foram questionados sobre a imagem que tinham da matemática e do aprendizado de matemática e se e o que consideravam relevante. Na segunda rodada de entrevistas, depois de terem experimentado várias unidades de EMC, foram acrescentadas perguntas adicionais sobre suas experiências nessas aulas. A análise mostra que a atribuição geral de relevância dos alunos não mudou consideravelmente. Entretanto, foi possível identificar efeitos em suas reflexões sobre as unidades de EMC. Os alunos falaram sobre como essas unidades permitem que eles vivenciem uma conexão entre a matemática e os tópicos sociais, o que leva a uma relevância mais pessoal e direta da matemática para suas vidas. Entretanto, a compreensão que eles têm do que é considerado fazer matemática pode impedi-los de transferir facilmente suas experiências nessas unidades para suas atribuições gerais de relevância da matemática. Se os professores incluírem regularmente tarefas de EMC em suas aulas de matemática e fizerem reflexões sobre quais atividades matemáticas foram aplicadas para dar sentido a elas como parte integrante da instrução, a EMC parece oferecer a oportunidade para que os alunos ampliem suas concepções de matemática e experimentem as conexões entre a matemática e os tópicos sociais de forma mais clara.Cuando los estudiantes reflexionan sobre por qué consideran relevante el aprendizaje de las matemáticas, resulta evidente que sus atribuciones de relevancia no se ajustan a lo que las políticas educativas establecen como objetivos. Aunque en general consideran que la asignatura es importante, sus explicaciones de por qué lo hacen se limitan únicamente a las competencias matemáticas elementales necesarias en la vida cotidiana o a competencias no especificadas para la vida laboral posterior, y rara vez las relacionan con cuestiones sociales más amplias. La integración de tareas de Educación Matemática Crítica (EMC) en las clases de matemáticas podría ser una oportunidad para que las atribuciones de relevancia evolucionen aún más. Esta contribución muestra hasta qué punto cambiaron las perspectivas de los estudiantes sobre la relevancia de las matemáticas tras experimentar varias unidades de EMC. Dieciséis alumnos de tres centros diferentes participaron en dos rondas de entrevistas en las que se les preguntó por su imagen de las matemáticas y del aprendizaje de las mismas, si las consideraban relevantes y qué hacían. En la segunda ronda de entrevistas, después de que experimentaran varias unidades de EMC, se han añadido preguntas adicionales sobre sus experiencias en estas lecciones. El análisis muestra que la atribución global de relevancia por parte de los alumnos no cambió considerablemente. Sin embargo, se pudieron identificar efectos en sus reflexiones sobre las unidades EMC. Los alumnos hablaron de cómo estas unidades les permiten experimentar una conexión entre las matemáticas y los problemas de la sociedad que conduce a una relevancia más personal y directa de las matemáticas en sus vidas. Sin embargo, su comprensión de lo que se considera hacer matemáticas podría impedirles transferir fácilmente sus experiencias dentro de estas unidades a sus atribuciones generales de relevancia de las matemáticas. Si los profesores incluyen regularmente tareas de EMC en sus clases de matemáticas y hacen de la reflexión sobre qué actividades matemáticas se han aplicado para darles sentido una parte integral de la enseñanza, la EMC parece ofrecer a los alumnos la oportunidad de ampliar sus concepciones de las matemáticas y experimentar más claramente las conexiones entre las matemáticas y los problemas de la sociedad
Critical mathematics education in the classroom : Exploring effects of in-school teacher training on different scholastic levels Daniela Steflitsch
No full textThis study reports on how teachers and students experience the practical implementation of critical mathematics education (CME) within everyday teaching. The overarching aim of the study was to investigate the effects of bringing critical mathematics approaches into the classroom. A year-long close collaboration with 9 mathematics teachers through a special profes-sional development format served as the basis for the project. I designed and planned the professional development meetings that aimed at collectively elaborating the concept of critical mathematics education and possible practical realizations for their mathemat-ics classes. On the one hand, the thesis involves theoretical considerations about why it seems important to enhance critical education. On the other hand, the empirical part of the thesis mainly focuses on how students experienced the implementation of CME tasks, a perspective that is rarely the focus of examination. Data collection involved recordings of meetings with teachers, pre- and post-interviews with both teachers and students, classroom observations and my research diary. Besides demonstrating the diverse areas that can be challenging for teachers, the findings of the project can contribute to a better understanding of how students perceive this way of teaching mathematics. An analysis of their pre- and post-interview data revealed three broad themes that students addressed in their reflections: they either discussed the mathematics involved, the context or societal topic, or social aspects within the class-room. In general, students’ perceptions on CME lessons varied greatly, even within the same class. An in depth-analysis of how students engaged with socio-political issues in the mathematics classroom demonstrated that the this presents complexities, including diverse student opinions, the need for balanced facilitation to avoid bias, and the question of mathematics’ education capacity to comprehensively address social topics. This emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Additionally, this analysis highlighted the influence of students’ backgrounds and experiences on their engagement with sociopolitical issues. In homogeneous settings, students may struggle to recognize systemic injustices, what, on the one hand, places challenges for the teacher to point to essential aspects without influencing, and, on the other hand, underscores the need for students to engage with such tasks. By focusing on the mathematical aspect within CME, a task analysis along content and cognitive domains revealed their alignment with curricular demands, and their focus on fostering mathematical reasoning and communication skills. As students’ perceptions about the mathematics used diverged greatly from potential competencies that the tasks can promote, it emphasizes that teachers’ and students’ perceptions of what counts as mathematical activity play a significant role in understanding the efficacy of CME tasks in fulfilling educational objectives. This emphasizes the need for collaborative reflection of intended learning goals in the classroom. The findings of the study suggest implications and raise questions on various levels. The great variety of students’ perceptions underscored the complexity of implementing CME. As CME is not just about bringing different tasks to the mathematics classroom that involve out of school context, we need to think about effective models for both pre-service and in-service teacher training if we want an implementation happening on a broader scale. Exploring alternative approaches for implementation like interdisciplinary subjects that allow for an explicit interdisciplinary focus without needing to fulfil purely subject-related demands can bring valuable insights into other potential models for implementation. Ultimately, the findings indicate the necessity to examining implementation approaches in various contexts as they yield diverse challenges and to explicitly focus on the students’ perspectives. Longitudinal studies can provide deeper insights into the lasting im-pacts of CME on students' attitudes and learning outcomes over timeDissertation Universität Klagenfurt 202
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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