Education Commons^™

Teaching Time Savers: Some Advice On Giving Advice, Michael E. Orrison Jr.

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

There are always a lot of questions that need to be answered at the beginning of a course. When are office hours? What are the grading policies? How many exams will there be? Will late homework be accepted? We have all seen the answers to these sorts of questions form the bulk of a standard course syllabus, and most of us feel an obligation (and rightly so) to provide such information.

Creating Communities Of Mathematical Thinkers In The Pre-Kindergarten Classroom., Robin Penley Herndon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes a standards-based pre-kindergarten mathematics curriculum. The purpose of this thesis was to create a series of original lesson plans for the pre-kindergarten classroom that would address defined standards with instructional and other materials appropriate for teaching and assessing student understanding of the concepts. The curriculum is based on standards set forth by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Virginia Department of Education's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning. The body of the work introduces the foundation for the thesis with theoretical underpinning, defines the content strands and learning objectives, establishes a pacing schedule for meeting …

Teaching Time Savers: Style Points, Michael E. Orrison Jr.

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

When I began as an assistant professor, I had a pretty good sense of how much time it would take for me to prepare for each class. After a few conversations with my new colleagues, I even had a good sense of how much time I should devote to tasks like office hours and committee work. Somewhere in the middle of grading my first exam, though, it became painfully clear that I had underestimated the amount of time I would need to grade exams!

Second Graders' Solution Strategies And Understanding Of A Combination Problem, Tiffany Marie Hessing

Theses and Dissertations

I inquire about second graders' capabilities of developing solution strategies and the original variety of strategies they bring forth while solving a combination problem. Based on analysis of the data presented in this paper, students developed five different general strategies. After analyzing what the second grade students were capable of developing, we can conclude that young children are capable of developing powerful systematic strategies grounded in their personal experiences. This research shows that even when the teacher does not foster personal agency, children will still exercise agency. The social interactions in the classroom helped students learn to propose mathematical ideas, …

Linear Inequalities [11th Grade], Maeve Goetz

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The students will be introduced to linear inequalities and systems of linear inequalities. The main understandings that I want to develop in my students are that there are many methods to solving math problems and that solving the problem is not always enough (mathematically correct solutions are not always the best solutions). They will need to analyze the solutions they develop to determine whether or not their answer is reasonable. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of linear equalities by solving them algebraically, graphically, and using a table. Students will compare and contrast linear equations to linear inequalities. They will explore …

What Is Measurement? [8th Grade], Catherine Risinger

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this 8th grade unit, students will bridge their understanding of measurement from 7th grade Math to a new level which is required for the further development of Mathematical Skills. Students will gain a better understanding on the needed skills when solving for both direct and indirect measurement. Through the performance assessment students will design in small groups a 4,000 square foot home. Not only will students complete a scale drawing of their design they will also be building their design as well. This allows students to appreciate the amount of details that are required in the buildings that we …

Teaching Time Savers: A Recommendation For Recommendations, Michael E. Orrison Jr.

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

I admit it — I enjoy writing recommendation letters for my students. I like
learning about their hopes and dreams, where they have been and where they want to go. A recommendation letter is an opportunity to remind myself how much my students can grow while they are in college, and how much I have grown as an instructor, advisor, and mentor.

How Have Teachers Affected The Disinterest Towards Mathematics?, Amy Brown

Senior Honors Projects

In our school system today there is a collective disinterest and lack of enthusiasm towards mathematics as a whole. This apathy is prevalent as early as elementary school and continues through higher education. It is disheartening that so many students avoid mathematics because of their misconception that it is too difficult and has little value in their future. How well prepared are our teachers to deal with this? I began my research by looking at the past perceptions of mathematics and how the reform movement has changed this perspective. I also looked at the changing standards and how the Principles …

What Does It Mean To Preservice Mathematics Teachers To Anticipate Student Responses?, Matthew M. Webb

Theses and Dissertations

Lesson study is a form of professional development for teachers adopted in recent years from Japan. Introducing lesson study to U.S. teachers and researchers has been the focus of most of the literature on this subject. Much of the literature outlines how lesson study works and describes its essential features. One of the features of lesson study is anticipating student responses, also known as anticipating student thinking. Anticipating student responses is passingly described in lesson study literature. This research was conducted to understand what it means to anticipate student responses for preservice mathematics teachers in a lesson study group. Lesson …

Gender And Educational And Occupational Choices, Jacquelynne Sue Eccles

STEM for Success Resources

Why Do Women and Men Make Such Different Choices for Their Lives? In most cultures, women and men are concentrated in quite different occupations and roles. Why? This presentation goal is to provide one perspective on this quite complex question – a perspective grounded in Expectancy –Value Models of Achievement-related Choices

When Am I Ever Going To Use This? A Mathematics Investigation Involving Animals, Nicole Lynn Drake

All Graduate Projects

This project is a format for developing investigations that includes a sample set of investigations that teachers can use as a resource. This project develops an investigation that assists teachers in presenting math concepts within the context of his or her students' everyday life. Investigations use real live experiences as background and context for student learning. By developing a problem that the students can relate to, the student's attitudes and depth of knowledge will improve. This project looks into, the history of reform in mathematics education, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards, current curricula addressing reform, math workshops, …

Listening To Student Voices: Fifth Graders' Perceptions Of Their Mathematics Learning Within The Context Of A Mathematics Reform, Elizabeth Hoffman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored fifth graders' perceptions of their mathematics learning within the context of a reform effort. Students' voices are the focus of this study due to the paucity of literature on student learning from the students' perspective (Erickson & Shultz, 1992), particularly the elementary student (Gentilucci, 2004). The participants of this study, who in the past have been given a variety of labels including "disadvantaged" or "at-risk," clearly articulated, even in nonstandard English, their perceptions of their mathematics learning. They passionately explained what helped them learn mathematics as well as what impeded their mathematics learning and were often …

What Teachers Want To Know: A Systematic Review Of Action Research Theses Related To K-8 Mathematics And Science, Bridget Steele

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research conducted was a systemic review of 88 action research masters theses from a teacher enhancement program for K-8 mathematics and science at the University of Central Florida and the teachers that performed the studies. The purpose of this study is to synthesize existing research results of a collection of master's theses from a teacher enhancement program for K-8 mathematics and science teachers in order to arrive at meaningful conclusions regarding teachers' research interests and classroom practices. Also, the study will help teacher educators who deliver the teacher enhancement program to improve the effectiveness of the program. A summary …

The Paths To Becoming A Mathematics Teacher, Kimberly Lowry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing numbers of mathematics teachers must be recruited in coming years, because of a growing student population, teacher attrition, calls for smaller class size, and the need to replace out-of-subject teachers. Recruitment can be made more effective and efficient, if better information on career paths is provided to decision makers. This study attempts to analyze the academic decisions which lead to the outcome "becoming a mathematics teacher". Four groups were compared and contrasted: mathematics teachers, science teachers, other teachers, and non-teachers. Science teachers were removed from the "other teachers" category because of their many similarities to mathematics teachers on the …

Can Blending Face-To-Face Teaching With E-Learning Support The Development Of Phase 4 Apprentices In Mathematics? A Formative Evaluation Research Study., Peter Hinch

Theses

This thesis is a formative evaluation research study. Its purpose is to establish if blending face-to-face and e-learning delivery methods can support the development of Phase 4 apprentice plumbers in mathematics in the Department of Construction Skills in the Technologicl University Dublin. The study also included the design, development and evaluation of a mathematics web site called Plumatics 4 U which is grounded in established theoretical criteria for effective blended delivery within third level education. This web site is currently in use by Phase 4 apprentice plumbers and is delivered through WebCT. The CD accompanying this thesis contains a short …

Evaluating Online Mathematics Resources: A Practical Approach For Teachers, Boris Handal, Parvan Handal, Anthony J. Herrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Gradually Internet-based educational resources are making their way into the school mathematics curriculum (Handal & Herrington, 2003). Online resources are potentially useful compared to normal courseware because of their abundance, availability at no cost, platform-free accessibility, and their wide reaching accessibility. On the other hand, a major limitation of online resources is their lack of appropriate pedagogy, coupled with poor instructional design and layout. According to Alessi and Trollip (2001, p. 392), “The tendency for the Web to be used only for presentation of materials greatly restricts its instructional potential”.

Grade 12 Mathematics Teachers' Views On Curriculum Reform In New South Wales, Paul L. Ayres, John M. Mccormick

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on teachers’ perceptions of major curriculum reform in New South Wales at the Higher School Certificate. Quantitative and qualitative data are presented. Measures of teacher self-efficacy and stress related to the innovation, as well as general perceptions of the implementation are reported. Mathematics teachers' views of the curriculum reform are also compared with those of other subject teachers.

Code Red (Remediation And Enrichment Days): The Complex Journey Of A School And University Partnership's Process To Increase Mathematics Achievement, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, K. Dockery, S. Jamieson, J. Ross

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This study examined a focused remediation and enrichment effort among school and university faculty to affect the mathematics achievement of a group of third-grade students in a Title 1 elementary school. A total of 87 students participated in the Code RED (Remediation and Enrichment Days) Project. During the Code RED Project, student assessment data were used to identify high-need areas for mathematics instruction. The Code RED Project sessions occurred in small groups over a 10-week period. Pre-and posttest assessments, as well as state-standardized tests, were used for data gathering during the project. Pre-and posttest data indicate that students made significant …

Middle School Mathematics Teacher Certification, Degree Level, And Experience, And The Effects On Teacher Attrition And Student Mathematics Achievement In A Large Urban District, Bonnie Swan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the backgrounds and experiences of middle school mathematics teachers that often distinguish "quality" teachers, including certification, experience, degree type, and degree level and how those demographics and others vary for different types of schools. The emphasis was on profiling teachers in a large urban district by describing their basic features and distributions, as well as how middle school mathematics teachers, according to those differences, relate to student mathematics achievement, teacher attrition and teacher mobility. Student achievement was measured by test results from the Norm Reference Test-Normal Curve Equivalent (NRT-NCE) mathematics portion of …

The Effects Of Hands-On Instructional Strategies On Fourth Grade Students' Attitudes And Performance In Mathematics, Lindsey Hosack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study summarizes research conducted in a fourth grade classroom in a suburban elementary school in the fall of 2005. This study investigated the practice of using hands-on instructional strategies, enhanced with technology, to improve students' attitudes and performance in mathematics. The classroom teacher supplemented conventional mathematics instruction with hands-on activities. Attitudinal data were collected using a pre- and post anxiety survey as well as journal writing assignments and student interviews. Performance data was collected using evaluative assessments. Results of this study showed a positive change in students' attitude towards mathematics. Student performance gains were recorded and analyzed throughout the …

Can Blending Face-To-Face Teaching With E-Learning Support The Development Of Phase 4 Apprentices In Mathematics: A Formative Evaluation Research Study, Peter Hinch

Theses

This thesis is a formative evaluation research study_ Its purpose is to establish if

blending face--to-face and e-leaming delivery methods can support the development of

Phase 4 apprentice plumbers in mathematics in the Department of Construction Skills in

the Technologicl University Dublin. The study also included the design, development

and evaluation of a mathematics web site called Plumatics 4 U which is grounded in

established theoretical criteria for effective blended delivery within third level

education. This web site is currently in use by Phase 4 apprentice plumbers and is

delivered through WebCT. The CD accompanying this thesis contains a short …

Jesuit Education And Mathematics: Review Of The Literature On Jesuit Education And Mathematics, Ernesto A. Diaz

Education | Print Theses

The purpose of the thesis is to review recent literature on diverse aspects of Jesuit cation including its historiography, pedagogy, teaching, philosophy, and its contributions to Id of Mathematics. The time frame studied has been divided in four main periods. Origins; encompassing the founding of the Society of Jesus in 1540 to the publication of the Ratio Studiorum in 1599. Expansion; covering from the publication of the Ratio to the suppression of Society in 1773. Restoration: covers the period between the 1814 Restoration, until the ginning of the Vatican II Council. Renewal; the Society in the post-Vatican area to the …

The Effects Of Professional Development Programs On Educational Outcomes In Mathematics And Sciences, William M. Craig

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Professional development programs are widely acknowledged for their success in determining outcomes in a variety of fields. These programs are particularly useful in education where new processes, methodologies, and curriculum need to be disseminated to vast numbers of administrators, educators, parents, and program analysts. Education is considered one of the top priorities for American policymakers, agencies, companies, and the general public. This fact has made educational outcomes progressively more important over time as larger expenditures are dedicated to providing positive educational effects. There has been a large body of research performed on what effects educational outcomes in the United States. …