1,721,649 research outputs found
Tools and taxonomies: a response to Hoyles
No full textIn this response paper to Hoyles’ contribution “Transforming the mathematical practices of learners and teachers through digital technology” (Hoyles, 2018) focuses on three points. First, more knowledge is needed on why teaching and learning practices should transform, into what will they transform, and by what or by whom will they be transformed. Second, a suggestion is made for a more specific taxonomy on the didactical functionality of digital tools in mathematics education. Third, a plea is made for a future research agenda that addresses the ways in which activities with digital tools mediate the learning of mathematics in a fruitful way. This includes the interpretation and grading of online student work through intelligent mathematical software, and the notion of embodiment, as to do justice to the bodily experiences in which mathematical experiences are rooted
Discovery learning: Zombie, phoenix, or elephant?
No full textDiscovery learning continues to be a topic of heated debate. It has been called a zombie, and this special issue raises the question whether it may be a phoenix arising from the ashes to which the topic was burnt. However, in this commentary I propose it is more like an elephant—a huge topic approached by many people who address different aspects. What is needed in the discussion about discovery learning and related approaches, I argue, is sublation: the kind of lifting up from the one-dimensional discussion between two extremes (minimal guidance vs. direct instruction) that puts an end to the everlasting tug of war by integrating justified concerns from both opposite positions. I evaluate how the different contributions to the special issue help to sublate the discussion about discovery learning. In particular, the case study presented by Trninic illustrates how strong guidance and repetition may be needed for the discovery of something that cannot be told. I further suggest scaffolding, inferentialism, and design research as potential theoretical and methodological ways forward
PRIMAS materials – IBL teaching and professional development materials
No full textThe project PRIMAS regroups 14 teams from 12 different countries. It aims to effect a change across Europe in the teaching and learning of mathematics and science with teachers supported to develop inquiry-based learning (IBL) pedagogies so that students gain experience of IBL approaches. Ultimately, our objective is a greater number of students with more positive dispositions towards further study of these subjects and the desire to be employed in related fields. Work package 3 (WP3) of the project is carried out in a close cooperation between Prof. Malcolm Swan, University of Nottingham and Dr. Michiel Doorman of Utrecht University. The main aim of WP3 ‘Materials’ is to assemble a rich collection of teaching materials and resources for professional development which encourage and support teachers to implement inquiry-based learning (with attention for interdisciplinary teaching) in science and mathematics at secondary and primary level
Evidence for benefit? Reviewing empirical research on the use of digital tools in mathematics education
No full textA recent OECD study has raised the question of which evidence we have for the benefit of using digital technology in mathematics education. To investigate this, we focus on experimental and quantitative studies, and revisit the main recent review studies in this domain. The results show significant positive effects of the use of digital technology on student achievement but only small effect sizes. As a conclusion, a plea is made for replication studies and for studies that identify decisive factors through the combination of a methodologically rigorous design and a theoretical foundation in domain-specific theories from mathematics didactics
What is worth publishing?: A response to Niss
Full text linkLet me first thank Mogens Niss for initiating an important discussion about the nature of mathematics education research. It is important to reflect regularly on our own discipline, including its publishing practices, in particular when these practices may prevent valuable work from getting published in the main journals in our field. In this response, I first offer some general reflections before I respond as editor- in-chief of Educational Studies in Mathematics (ESM)—one of the journals mentioned explicitly by Nis
Context-based mathematics tasks in Indonesia: Toward better practice and achievement
No full textThe Indonesian national curriculum mandates that mathematics education must be relevant to the needs of life and should offer students opportunities to develop the ability to apply their knowledge in society. Furthermore, there are educational movements in Indonesia that promote the application of mathematics and place a premium on using context-based tasks; see the projects Pendidikan MatematikaRealistik Indonesia (Indonesian Realistic Mathematics Education) and Pembelajaran Kontekstual (Contextual Teaching and Learning). Nevertheless, the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) studies showed that Indonesian students have poor performance on context-based tasks. Therefore, this PhD research was aimed to get a better insight into the teaching and learning of context-based mathematics tasks in Indonesia. For this research four studies were carried out. The first studyinvestigated what difficulties Indonesian students experience when solving context-based tasks. For this purpose, an error analysis was conducted for which a framework was developed on the basis of Newman’s error categories and the stages of problem modeling. The error analysis revealed that Indonesian students mostly had difficulties with comprehending context-based tasks and transforming a task into a mathematical problem. To identify possible reasons for these difficulties, in the second and third studyit was investigated whatopportunity-to-learn to solve context-based tasks is offered in Indonesian mathematics textbooks and teachers’ teaching practice. It was found that the students’ difficulties corresponded to the opportunity-to-learn the students got. It was revealed that the Indonesian textbooks contain only a very low number of context-based tasks. Moreover, most of these tasks contain precisely the information that is needed to solve atask. Thus, students do not get experience in selecting relevant information. With respect to students’ difficulty in transforming real-world problems into a mathematical problem, it was found that most context-based tasks in Indonesian textbooks used camouflage contexts and provided explicit suggestions about the mathematical procedure for solvingthe tasks. Finally, in the fourth study it was investigated how the performance of Indonesian students on context-based tasks can be improved. In a field experiment,students were provided with opportunity-to-learn which comprisedtwo components: a set of context-based tasks and a consultative teaching approachincluding giving metacognitive prompts. The results showed that providing students with such opportunity-to-learn improved students’ ability to comprehend context-based tasks, in particular the ability to select relevant information. On the basis of the findingsthree recommendations are given for teaching context-based tasks. The first recommendation is to include more context-based tasks in the learning materials; especially context-based tasks that use relevant and essential contexts, have superfluous or missing information, and do not explicitly signify what mathematical procedure is suitable. The second recommendation addresses the teaching practice; that is,usinga consultative approach and making use in the teaching practice of the knowledge about students’ difficulties. The third recommendation is to pay attention in teacher education and professional development to teachers’ beliefs and their knowledge about context-based tasks, because these two aspects are essential for selecting good tasks (or designing them) and creating learning opportunities for students
The influence of inquiry-based learning on Indonesian students’ attitude towards science
No full textFirstly, this study examined changes in Indonesian high school students’ attitude towards science after the implementation of inquiry-based learning (IBL). Using a quasi-experimental approach, TOSRA questionnaires were administered before and after intervention to access changes on students’ attitude. The results indicate IBL did not have a positive impact on students’ attitude towards science. Secondly, this study describes an attempt to discover factors limiting or supporting the implementation of IBL in Indonesian classrooms practice. Qualitative analysis of observation and teacher’s interview data was performed. Our findings reported that time, questioning techniques, task difficulties, insecurity of self-directed learning, and experience with group influenced IBL lessons’ implementation
- …
