Education Commons^™

Connecting Weirdness And Wonder To Mathematics, Elizabeth Basile, Deborah H. Mcmurtrie, Bridget K. Coleman

South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education Journal

Middle school students are weird and wonderful. Why not bring some of that weirdness and wonder into the mathematics classroom? Effective teachers of mathematics can create a culture of engagement, curiosity, and collaboration in mathematics instruction by presenting “weird” problems (as opposed to word problems) and giving students opportunities to explore their wonderings. Inspired by “the bizarreness effect,” the problems presented here are infused with humor and designed to intrigue young adolescents.

A Tale Of Four Departments: Interdisciplinary Faculty Learning Communities Informing Mathematics Education, Bryan D. Poole, Caroline Maher-Boulis, John Hearn, Jason Robinson, Patricia Mcclung, Amanda Jones

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

As a result of the Curriculum Foundations Project and the SUMMIT-P consortium, faculty from four different departments at Lee University created a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) with the goal of improving students’ attitudes toward undergraduate mathematics courses, including students’ perception of the utility of mathematics in their lives and the feelings of anxiety that they experience in these courses. The interdisciplinary collaborations resulted in introducing novel activities and manipulatives in various mathematics courses (Introduction to Statistics, Concepts of Mathematics I and II, and Algebra for Calculus). This paper first describes the efforts of creating the inter-departmental FLC. Second, it discusses …

Using An Interdisciplinary Case Study To Incorporate Quantitative Reasoning In Social Work, Nursing, And Mathematics, Elizabeth Post, Mischelle Stone, Lauren Cavner Williams, Mary Beaudry

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Through the national consortium, SUMMIT-P, Ferris State University faculty collaborated to develop and scaffold mathematics and quantitative reasoning across disciplines to reduce math anxiety. Participants in this collaborative group included faculty from social work, nursing, and mathematics who developed a case study on a Hurricane Katrina scenario that necessitated calculating the need for emergency shelter, water, food, and medicine, and as a response to the potential for a Malaria outbreak. This particular case study allowed faculty to use the lens of social justice to teach mathematical concepts and provided an avenue for nursing and social work students to engage in …

Providing Virtual Mathematics Feedback: Connecting Research To Practice, David Glassmeyer, Mary Colclasure, Laura Alevy

Georgia Educational Researcher

Feedback is an essential form of communication between the student and teacher. Research has documented the importance of feedback in advancing student mathematical and critical thinking, with renewed recommendations to provide and use feedback in mathematical instruction during the era of COVID-19. Giving personalized feedback in an online environment can be a challenge – especially in a mathematics class. This article summarizes five core principles of feedback, associated strategies for mathematics teachers to provide students virtual feedback, and notes on how we have implemented these strategies in middle school mathematics classes.

Overcoming Barriers: De-Tracking To Teach For Social Justice, Stephanie J. White

Middle Grades Review

How do we overcome tracking in mathematics to actualize the goals of teaching for social justice? Tracking is a racist educational structure that puts limits on the effectiveness of teaching for social justice. This essay presents arguments for de-tracking with explanation of how tracking negatively impacts Black and Latinx students. Readers will learn about schools and districts that have de-tracked students juxtaposed with the barriers that keep most schools from dismantling tracking. This essay calls upon schools and researchers to further investigate locally why schools do not work through these barriers to spark action and eliminate tracking.

Students' Mathematical Reasoning Ability In Solving Post-Covid-19 Pisa Model Math Problems, Linda Linda, Ira Asyura

Jurnal Riset Pendidikan Matematika

This study aims to describe the reasoning abilities of high school students in Pandeglang Regency, Indonesia in solving post-Covid-19 PISA model math problems. The subjects of this study were 80 students of two state senior high schools in Pandeglang Regency, Indonesia. The data collection used a written test consisting of four description questions in the form of PISA model math questions (levels 2, 3, 4, and 5), and were through interviews and documentation. The data analysis followed the steps of data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The results show that the reasoning abilities of Pandeglang Regency high school students …

Covid And Curriculum: Elementary Teachers Report On The Challenges Of Teaching And Learning Mathematics Remotely, Kristin Giorgio-Doherty, Mona Baniahmadi, Jill Newton, Amy M. Olson, Kristen Ferguson, Kaitlyn Sammons, Marcy M. Wood, Corey Drake

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This article reports on findings from a survey administered to 524 elementary teachers across 46 states that asked about their experiences with mathematics teaching, learning, and curriculum use before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this article is to report on the challenges teachers experienced with mathematics teaching, learning, and curriculum use during the pandemic and to explore educational inequities faced by students of families with lower income backgrounds. In particular, we discuss differences across high- and low-income schools regarding teachers’ perceived preparedness for online teaching, teachers’ use and decisions about mathematics curriculum, and their students’ remote resources …

Integrating Mathematics, Science, And Literacy Into A Culturally Responsive Stem After-School Program, Shelli L. Casler-Failing, Alma D. Stevenson, Beverly A. King Miller

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This manuscript shares the implementation of an after-school literacy in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) program designed for middle grade students to increase their interest in science and mathematics learning. This program was conducted at our local Boys and Girls Club facilities where students learned about four science topics (renewable energy, water cycle, Newton’s laws, and natural disasters). Students participated in culturally responsive reading and writing activities incorporating culturally relevant books, journal writing, hands-on projects, and a culminating science fair presentation on a topic of their choice. The authors determined that using literature, particularly culturally responsive picture books and …

Predictors Of Student Academic Success In The Corequisite Model, Damon Andrews, Steven Tolman

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of community college student academic success in corequisite English and mathematics courses. Academic success was defined dichotomously on a pass or fail basis. The population included 1,934 students enrolled in at least one corequisite English and/or mathematics course at a community college between the fall semester of 2015 and summer semester of 2018. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the fol- lowing predictors: a student’s sex, race, age at time of enrollment, Pell Grant recipient status, first-generation college student status, high school grade point average (HSGPA), placement test scores, academic …

Participatory Action Research: Undergraduate Researchers Engaging Secondary Students In Social Justice Mathematics, Isabelle Miller, Alexis Grimes, Camryn Adkison

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Improving Teaching Mathematics Using Communicative Competence In Primary Education, Jasur Amirddinovich Mardonkulov Researcher

Central Asian Journal of Education

Human society is unthinkable outside of communication. Communication is a necessary condition for the existence of people, without which it is impossible to fully form not only individual mental functions, processes and properties of a person, but also the personality as a whole. The reality and necessity of communication is determined by joint activity: in order to live, people are forced to interact. Always an active person communicates, whose activities intersect with the activities of other people. Communication allows you to organize social activities and enrich it with new connections and relationships between people.

Pre-Service High School Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions About Mathematics And Mathematics Teachers: A Metaphorical Approach, Yasemin Katranci, Busra Kiral, Diler Kedikli

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study aimed to examine the perceptions of pre-service high school mathematics teachers about the concepts of mathematics and mathematics teachers. Metaphors were used to reveal these perceptions. The study is descriptive. The study group was determined according to the convenient sampling method. In this scope, 46 pre-service high school mathematics teachers participated in the study. The data were obtained through the completion of the “Mathematics is like ..... because .....” and “Mathematics teacher is like ..... because .....” statements by the participants. In the analysis and interpretation of the data; i) naming, ii) elimination, iii) category, and iv) validity-reliability …

An Interdisciplinary Rendezvous Between Mathematics And Literature: Reflections On Beauty As A Perspective In Comparative Disciplinary Didactics And A Thematic Approach To Interdisciplinary Work In Upper Secondary School, Uffe Thomas Jankvist, Helle Rørbech, Jesper Bremholm

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this paper we propose a thematic focus on aesthetics in the context of an interdisciplinary collaboration between mathematics and literature (Language Arts) as a way to further students’ reflections on and deeper understanding of what characterizes the two subjects. Furthermore, we argue that approaching aesthetics through the perspective of literacy can potentially strengthen students’ understanding of ways of thinking particular to specific (academic) disciplines; ways of thinking that are otherwise often hidden when teaching focuses on more pragmatic aspects. G. H. Hardy’s A Mathematician’s Apology from 1940 serves as the recurring illustrative example in our discussions of the pedagogical …

Qualitative Analysis Of Corequisite Instruction In A Quantitative Reasoning Course, Zachary Beamer

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

In corequisite models of instruction, marginally prepared students are placed directly into college-level coursework, taught with a paired support course. Initial research suggests that such models yield significant improvements in the number of students passing credit-level mathematics when compared to previous models of prerequisite remediation. The present study employs qualitative methods to investigate methods of instruction at one community colleges to understand how instructors identify and respond to student needs. It concludes with recommendations for practice and highlights advantages of small format corequisite classes taught by the same instructor.

Ladies' Lunch Connects Those Involved In Stem, Lydia Marcus

The Voice

No abstract provided.

Computational Thinking In Mathematics And Computer Science: What Programming Does To Your Head, Al Cuoco, E. Paul Goldenberg

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

How you think about a phenomenon certainly influences how you create a program to model it. The main point of this essay is that the influence goes both ways: creating programs influences how you think. The programs we are talking about are not just the ones we write for a computer. Programs can be implemented on a computer or with physical devices or in your mind. The implementation can bring your ideas to life. Often, though, the implementation and the ideas develop in tandem, each acting as a mirror on the other. We describe an example of how programming and …

How Teachers Use Formative Assessment Strategies During Teaching: Evidence From The Classroom, Hem Chand Dayal

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Using lesson observations, the study reported in this article explores how two practising secondary mathematics teachers implemented formative assessment actions in their classroom teaching. The study also investigated whether teachers’ beliefs about teaching and assessment could be mapped onto their classroom practices. In particular, while the two teachers were implementing student portfolio assessment in their own Year 9 mathematics lessons, the classroom observations focused on how they utilised formative assessment actions such as clarifying and sharing learning criteria intentions and criteria for success; activating students as instructional resources; and, providing feedback that moves learners forward. The findings suggest that one …

Mathematics Corequisite Remediation And Direct Enrollment: Addressing Misconceptions And Concerns, Zachary Beamer

Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges

In Fall 2020 the VCCS will begin implementing the Direct Enrollment Pilot, building upon lessons learned in prior reforms and successes of reforms in other states. In the new corequisite model of developmental education, students at the margins of college preparation are placed directly into college coursework with a supplemental support class. This Notes in Brief article summarizes some of the research behind the transition towards this model and the implications of this scholarship on current reform efforts. It directly addresses concerns regarding the move towards corequisite instruction and provides recommendations for how to implement reforms.

Changes And Deltas, Jim Wolper

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Lecturing about Mathematics is like playing Jazz.

Tactivities: Fostering Creativity Through Tactile Learning Activities, Angie Hodge-Zickerman, Eric Stade, Cindy S. York, Janice Rech

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

As mathematics teachers, we hope our students will approach problems with a spirit of creativity. One way to both model and encourage this spirit – and, at the same time, to keep ourselves from getting bored – is through creative approaches to problem design. In this paper, we discuss ``TACTivities'' – mathematical activities with a tactile component – as a creative outlet for those of us who teach mathematics, and as a resource for stimulating creative thinking in our students. We use examples, such as our ``derivative fridge magnets'' TACTivity, to illustrate the main ideas. We emphasize that TACTivities can …

The Effect Of An Instructional Strategy Based On Constructivism Approach In Mathematics On Achievement Of Sixth Grade Students In Saudi Arabia, منصور جاعف الرويلي, خالد محمد أبو لوم

Jordanian Educational Journal

This study aimed at investigating the effect of an instructional strategy based on constructivism approach in mathematics on achievement of sixth grade students in Saudi Arabia. The study sample consisted of (49) six grade students. The students were distributed randomly into two groups; experimental group with (24) students who studied through instructional strategy based on constructivism approach, and the control group with (25) students who studied through normal method. In order to provide answers to the study question, the researchers used achievement test. The validity and reliability of the instrument were verified by the suitable educational and statistical methods. After …

Teaching A University Course On The Mathematics Of Gambling, Stewart N. Ethier, Fred M. Hoppe

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Courses on the mathematics of gambling have been offered by a number of colleges and universities, and for a number of reasons. In the past 15 years, at least seven potential textbooks for such a course have been published. In this article we objectively compare these books for their probability content, their gambling content, and their mathematical level, to see which ones might be most suitable, depending on student interests and abilities. This is not a book review (e.g., none of the books is recommended over others) but rather an essay offering advice about which topics to include in a …

On Not Teaching Addition: A Homeschooling Parent Teaches And Researches Math, Marion D. Cohen

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Interactions with the humans in one’s life can have bearings on the way one interacts with one’s work – and vice versa. In particular, the ways in which a math person who is also a parent interacts with their children can correlate with the ways that person interacts with students, colleagues, and with math itself. This article describes some of that correlation in one mathmom’s life. In particular, this mathmom worked toward balancing, both as a mom and as a teacher, her beliefs and feelings with societal mindsets and practices.

Agricultural Education And Mathematics Performance Among Secondary Students, Susan W. Githua, John C. Ricketts

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of agricultural education, FFA involvement, and SAE participation on the mathematics performance of secondary students. The study explored these factors using an ex post facto research design. Respondents in the study were secondary students enrolled in Agricultural Education program (N=80) and non-agricultural education students (N=59). Results revealed that agricultural education students had a higher mathematics mean score (M=12.15, SD=4.61) than non-agricultural education students (M=10.67, SD=3.63). There were positive statistically significant differences between mathematics performance of the students and their FFA involvement as well as SAE participation.

Parts Of The Whole: The Having Of Wonderful Ideas: Eleanor Duckworth Introduces Us To Piaget, Dorothy Wallace

Numeracy

The small book of essays by Eleanor Duckworth has been a staple of teacher education for decades, serving as a bridge between Piaget’s observations of infants and the needs of the classroom. As her examples tend to be of young children, we consider more general ideas in the context of older grades and higher education. Several of her insights are discussed with an eye to application in the field of quantitative education, highlighting the need to integrate issues of pedagogy with those of content.

Using A Faculty Learning Community To Promote Interdisciplinary Course Reform, Rhonda Bishop, Victor Piercey, Mischelle Stone

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

As part of a multi-institution, National Science Foundation (NSF) grant-funded project, Ferris State University (FSU) joins a national effort to reform mathematics curricula. Researchers from FSU developed and facilitated a faculty learning community (FLC) as one strategy to redesign the traditional approach to the quantitative reasoning skill development of students in the departments of mathematics, nursing, social work, and the College of Business. Over the course of one academic year, the FLC provided an interdisciplinary faculty connection to develop pedagogical approaches that integrated cross-curricular concepts and context from each discipline. The FLC not only produced uniquely designed, learning-centered approaches to …

Good Teachers Borrow, Great Teachers Steal: A Case Study In Borrowing For A Teaching Project, Mike May, Rebecca Segal, Victor Piercey, Tao Chen

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

Very few great ideas in teaching are without ancestors or descendants. This paper presents a case study in how one particular pedagogical project, the work at Saint Louis University as part of the National Science Foundation supported SUMMIT-P consortium, borrowed from other sources. The particular project was an interdisciplinary collaboration to make mathematics education more effective for business students. The various borrowings are treated in roughly chronological order from initial inspiration through planned adoption and adaptation of the work of others to the addition of features that only became available mid-project. The kinds of sources include a particular business calculus …

Curricular Change In Institutional Context: A Profile Of The Summit-P Institutions, Mary D.R. Beisiegel, Suzanne I. Dorée

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

There is a national call to improve the mathematics curricula in the first two undergraduate years to improve student success and engagement. But curricular change happens in an institutional context: Who are the students, and what do they need to succeed? What is the climate for change? Does the department regularly revise its courses and curriculum? Is it common for different departments to collaborate on curricular change? What supports or obstacles does the department, college, or university have for changing the curriculum? Who are the institutional stakeholders, and what practices build their buy-in? In the SUMMIT-P project, nine different institutions …

Full Issue

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

No abstract provided.

Preservice Teachers As Document Detectives, Lorna Quinnell, Radha Iyer, Bronwyn Ewing

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Literacy today relies on a readers’ ability to analyse text critically. This case study investigated preservice teachers’ critical analysis of media text containing visuals and representations. In particular, the analysis focused on mathematical factors that impact on readers’ interpretation of diverse visuals.

Data was gathered from the 23 preservice teachers, enrolled in the Graduate Diploma program at one Australian university. They participated in a series of mathematics learning sessions focused on the critical analysis of a selection of media items.

The paper argues that the ability to critically analyse graphs and visuals relies on mathematical knowledge and that the ability …