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Full-Text Articles in Education
The Polygon Game, Kyla Hall
The Polygon Game, Kyla Hall
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
The Polygon Game ‐ Take a regular, n‐sided polygon (i.e. a regular n‐gon) and the set of numbers, {1, 2, 3, …, (2n‐2), (2n‐1), 2n}. Place a dot at each vertex of the polygon and at the midpoint of each side of the polygon. Take the numbers and place one number beside each dot. A side sum is the sum of the number assigned to any midpoint plus the numbers assigned to the vertex on either side of the midpoint. A solution to the game is any polygon with numbers assigned to each dot for which all side sums are …
Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network – Fall 2007
Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network – Fall 2007
Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network
Content:
Master’s Online Course to Improve Teachers Science Knowledge by Lindsey Mohlman
Teacher Spotlight: Susan Frack by Susan Frack & Lindsey Mohlman
Nebraska View: A Resource for K-16 Educators by Milda Vaitkus
Mueller Planetarium Goes “Fulldome” by Jack Dunn
ANDRILL Antarctic Geological Drilling by Frank Rack
Toyota USA Foundation Grant to UNL will Promote K-12 Science Education by UNL Office of Communications
Evaluation Of An Adult Education Technology Program, Iwasan D. Kejawa Ed.D
Evaluation Of An Adult Education Technology Program, Iwasan D. Kejawa Ed.D
Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adult education technology program at a chartered alternative adult education center in Florida. The adult education center had a low rate of students passing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). This study examined the impact of the use of computer technology in an effort to improve student learning in mathematics, reading, and science. Computers at the institution were used by all students for tutorials to prepare them for the FCAT and to obtain a high school diploma. The research questions for this study were as follows: 1. Is the education technology …
The Importance Of Teaching Students How To Read To Comprehend Mathematical Language, Tricia Buchanan
The Importance Of Teaching Students How To Read To Comprehend Mathematical Language, Tricia Buchanan
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my classroom of 8th and 9th grade Algebra I students, I investigated if there are any benefits for the students in my class to learn how to read, translate, use, and understand the mathematical language found daily in their math lessons. I discovered that daily use and practice of the mathematical language in both written and verbal form, by not only me but by my students as well, improved their understanding of the textbook instructions, increased their vocabulary and also increased their understanding of their math lessons. I also found that my students remembered …
The Effects Improving Student Discourse Has On Learning Mathematics, Lindsey Thompson
The Effects Improving Student Discourse Has On Learning Mathematics, Lindsey Thompson
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my 8th grade mathematics classroom, I investigated how improving student discourse affects learning mathematics. I conducted this study because I wanted to give students more opportunities to develop and share their ideas with their peers as well as with me. My idea was to create a learning environment that encouraged students to voice their opinions. In order to do so, I needed to reassure and model with my students that they were in a classroom where it was safe to take risks, and they should feel comfortable sharing their ideas. By facilitating activities for …
Effects Of Self-Assessment On Math Homework, Diane Swartzlander
Effects Of Self-Assessment On Math Homework, Diane Swartzlander
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my eighth grade differentiated Algebra students, I investigated the effects of students using self-assessment on their homework. Students in my class were unmotivated and failed test objectives consistently. I wanted students to see that they controlled their learning and could be motivated to succeed. Formative assessment tells students how they need to improve. Learning needs to happen before they can be assessed. Self-assessment is one tool that helps students know if they are learning. A rubric scoring guide, daily documentation sheet and feedback on homework and test correlations were used to help students monitor …
Calculators In The Classroom: Help Or Hindrance?, Christina L. Sheets
Calculators In The Classroom: Help Or Hindrance?, Christina L. Sheets
Action Research Projects
In a world where technology is ever present and ever changing, is too much technology at too young of an age detrimental to a child’s educational success? The purpose of this paper is to share the results of a four-month study that focused on the use of calculators in grade eight. This study was conducted in an eighth grade class, in a small kindergarten through twelfth grade school. This paper will share the findings of a study of a classroom in which calculator use was limited and mental computation was emphasized. The main focus of this study was whether or …
Improving Students’ Story Problem Solving Abilities, Josh Severin
Improving Students’ Story Problem Solving Abilities, Josh Severin
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my classroom of 8th grade mathematics students, I investigated if learning different problem solving strategies helped students successfully solve problems. I also investigated if students’ knowledge of the topics involved in story problems had an impact on students’ success rates. I discovered that students were more successful after learning different problem solving strategies and when given problems with which they have experience. I also discovered that students put forth a greater effort when they approach the story problem like a game, instead of just being another math problem that they have to solve. An …
Understanding The Mathematical Language, Carmen Melliger
Understanding The Mathematical Language, Carmen Melliger
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my calculus classroom consisting of only 12th grade students, I investigated activities that would affect a student’s understanding of mathematical language. The goal in examining these activities in a systematic way was to see if a student’s deeper understanding of math terms and symbols resulted in a better understanding of the mathematical concepts being taught. I discovered that some students will rise to the challenge of understanding mathematics more deeply, and some will not. In the process of expecting more from students, the frustration level of both the students and the teacher increased. As …
Building Math Esteem In Fifth Grade Students, Karen Schur
Building Math Esteem In Fifth Grade Students, Karen Schur
Departament of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Summative Projects
In this action research study of my classroom of 5th grade mathematics, I investigate the levels of math esteem in each student and as a classroom. The definition of esteem on which I am basing my research is the judgment or estimation of the self-assurance of a student in math. I discovered that several of the students entered my classroom with a middle to low level of esteem in math, and about a third of the class already exhibited a positive, high esteem in math. After implementation of the research, and interpreting the data, I believe almost all the students …
It Is Not Just The Solution Anymore, Carol Brown
It Is Not Just The Solution Anymore, Carol Brown
Departament of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Summative Projects
In this action research study of a fifth grade enrichment mathematics class, I investigate how problem solving strategies and group work opportunities influence the students’ use of strategies and graphic representations. Though there are no large gains in the students’ use of strategies, some students show minor gains in their use of representations. I also investigate the influence of group work upon usage of representations. At the beginning of the study most students indicate that working in groups is helpful in finding solutions. Toward the end, 52.9 percent of the students indicate that while group work is beneficial for “reasoning” …
Testing Naval Artillery And Other Things, Tricia Buchanan
Testing Naval Artillery And Other Things, Tricia Buchanan
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
In WWII a tremendous amount of artillery shells were made to support the war efforts. There were problems with the artillery shells sent to the battlefield; the main problem was their lack of ability to blow things up. In other words, they were duds! While one may think that dud shells were the proverbial rare case, in my paper I hope to show you that instead it unfortunately seemed more the norm. The reasons behind this are varied but in this paper I will focus on the testing practices of the artillery shells and some of the issues that occurred …
Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier, Gary Eisenhauer
Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier, Gary Eisenhauer
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier was born in Auxerre, France on March 21, 1768. He was the ninth of twelve children from his father’s second marriage. When he was nine, his mother died. The following year, his father, a tailor, also passed.
Ethnomathematics, Chad Larson
Ethnomathematics, Chad Larson
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
When asked to think about a foreign country the first thing that comes to my mind is the language barrier and the customs that accompany that specific country. The culture of the citizens and how it differs from my culture are also things which peak my interest. Things which I view as “normal” may seem very odd to someone who lives thousands of miles away, and likewise, traditions that have been past down from generations of people from distant lands may seem peculiar to me. These customs and cultures of which I speak are also the things that make this …
How To Graphically Interpret The Complex Roots Of A Quadratic Equation, Carmen Melliger
How To Graphically Interpret The Complex Roots Of A Quadratic Equation, Carmen Melliger
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
As a secondary math teacher I have taught my students to find the roots of a quadratic equation in several ways. One of these ways is to graphically look at the quadratic and see were it crosses the x-axis. For example, the equation of y = x2 – x – 2, as shown in Figure 1, has roots at x = -1 and x = 2. These are the two places in which the sketched graph crosses the x-axis.
Experimentation With Two Formulas By Ramanujan, Daniel Schaben
Experimentation With Two Formulas By Ramanujan, Daniel Schaben
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
Srinivasa Ramanujan was a brilliant mathematician, considered by George Hardy to be in the same class as Euler, Gauss, and Jacobi. His short life, marred by illness and tragic educational events, was unique in the history of mathematics. Mathematical discoveries are still being gleaned from his personal notebooks. Paper was a hard commodity to come by so his notebooks were a cluttered mix of pen over pencil mathematical hieroglyphics. The following highlights Ramanujan’s life in connection with Hardy, his work with ellipses, and his work with the partition function.
Master Of Arts In Teaching (Mat), Josh Severin
Master Of Arts In Teaching (Mat), Josh Severin
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
The number zero is a very powerful tool in mathematics that has many different applications and rules. An interesting fact about the number zero is that according to our calendar (the Gregorian calendar), there is no “year zero” in our history. There is also no “zeroth” century as time is recorded from centuries B.C. to the 1st century A.D. However, certain calendars do have a year zero. In the astronomical year numbering system year zero is defined as year 1 BC. Buddhist and Hindu lunar calendars also have a year zero. In this paper I am going to discuss many …
Simple Statements, Large Numbers, Shana Streeks
Simple Statements, Large Numbers, Shana Streeks
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
Large numbers are numbers that are significantly larger than those ordinarily used in everyday life, as defined by Wikipedia (2007). Large numbers typically refer to large positive integers, or more generally, large positive real numbers, but may also be used in other contexts. Very large numbers often occur in fields such as mathematics, cosmology, and cryptography. Sometimes people refer to numbers as being “astronomically large”. However, it is easy to mathematically define numbers that are much larger than those even in astronomy. We are familiar with the large magnitudes, such as million or billion. In mathematics, we may know a …
Perimeter And Area Of Inscribed And Circumscribed Polygons, Lindsey Thompson
Perimeter And Area Of Inscribed And Circumscribed Polygons, Lindsey Thompson
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
This paper looks at comparing the perimeter and area of inscribed and circumscribed regular polygons. All constructions will be made with circles of radius equal to 1 unit. To begin this exploration, I created a circle with a radius of 1(for my purposes I used 1 inch as my unit of measure). I chose my first construction to contain the most basic regular polygon, an equilateral triangle. A regular polygon implies that all sides of the figure are equal and all interior angles of the figure are congruent. My first construction shows an equilateral triangle inscribed in a circle (see …
The Four Numbers Game, Tina Thompson
The Four Numbers Game, Tina Thompson
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
The Four Numbers Game is a fun way to work with subtraction and ordering of numbers. While trying to find an end to a game that is played with whole numbers, there are several items that will be investigated along the way. First, we offer an introduction to how the game is played. Second, rotations and reflections of a square will be presented which will create a generalized form. Third, we explain how even and odd number combinations will always end in even numbers within four subtraction rounds. Fourth, we argue that the length of the game does not change …
Order Of Operations And Rpn, Greg Vanderbeek
Order Of Operations And Rpn, Greg Vanderbeek
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
There is not a wealth of information regarding the history of the notations and procedures associated with what is now called the “order of operations”. There is evidence that some agreed upon order existed from the beginning of mathematical study. The grammar used in the earliest mathematical writings, before mathematical notation existed, supports the notion of computational order (Peterson, 2000). It is clear that one person did not invent the rules but rather current practices have grown gradually over several centuries and are still evolving.
Connections Between Communication And Math Abilities, Rachelle Mayo
Connections Between Communication And Math Abilities, Rachelle Mayo
Departament of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Summative Projects
In this action research study of my Class I School’s 5th and 8th grade mathematics, I investigated students’ connections between communication of math skills and their math abilities. I discovered that students can increase their math abilities with the opportunities to discuss their thinking as well as evaluate thinking and strategies of other students. Electronic communication can be a valuable source for students to communicate further to other students.
Pre-Reading Mathematics Empowers Students, Stacey Aldag
Pre-Reading Mathematics Empowers Students, Stacey Aldag
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my 8th grade mathematics classroom, I investigated the improvement of mathematical communication via assigning pre-reading material and requiring students to take notes prior to class discussions. I discovered that students became more active participants during classroom discussions and were able to produce work which illustrated their mathematical understanding. Teacher observations and improved quiz scores provide quantitative evidence, and student survey responses validate student communication. As a result of this research, I plan to assign pre-reading tasks and require students to take notes prior to class discussions with the goal to change classroom presentation from …
Generating Interest In Mathematics Using Discussion In The Middle School Classroom, Jessica Fricke
Generating Interest In Mathematics Using Discussion In The Middle School Classroom, Jessica Fricke
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my classroom of 8th grade algebra, I investigated students’ discussion of mathematics and how it relates to interest in the subject. Discussion is a powerful tool in the classroom. By relying too heavily on drill and practice, a teacher may lose any individual student insight into the learning process. However, in order for the discussion to be effective, students must be provided with structure and purpose. It is unrealistic to expect middle school age students to provide their own structure and purpose; a packet was constructed that would allow the students to both show …
“Let’S Review.” A Look At The Effects Of Re-Teaching Basic Mathematic Skills, Thomas J. Harrington
“Let’S Review.” A Look At The Effects Of Re-Teaching Basic Mathematic Skills, Thomas J. Harrington
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my classroom of 8th grade mathematics, I investigated the effect of reviewing basic fraction and decimal skills on student achievement and student readiness for freshman Algebra. I also investigated the effect on the quality of student work, with regards to legibility by having students grade each other’s work anonymously. I discovered that students need basic skill review with fractions and decimals, and by the end of the research their scores improved. However, their handwriting had not. At the end of the research, a majority of the students felt the review was important, and they …
Improving Student Engagement And Verbal Behavior Through Cooperative Learning, Daniel Schaben
Improving Student Engagement And Verbal Behavior Through Cooperative Learning, Daniel Schaben
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my classroom of 10th grade Algebra II students, I investigated three related areas. First, I looked at how heterogeneous cooperative groups, where students in the group are responsible to present material, increase the number of students on task and the time on task when compared to individual practice. I noticed that their time on task might have been about the same, but they were communicating with each other mathematically. The second area I examined was the effect heterogeneous cooperative groups had on the teacher’s and the students’ verbal and nonverbal problem solving skills and …
Do Students Progress If They Self-Assess? A Study In Small-Group Work, Cindy Steinkruger
Do Students Progress If They Self-Assess? A Study In Small-Group Work, Cindy Steinkruger
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my classroom of 8th grade mathematics, I investigated the effects of self-assessment on student group work. Data was collected to see how self-assessment affected small-group work, usage of precise mathematical vocabulary, and student attitudes toward mathematics. Self-assessment allowed the students to periodically evaluate their own learning and their involvement in math class. I discovered that the vast majority of students enjoy working in small-groups, and they feel they are good group members. Evidence in regard to use of precise mathematical vocabulary showed an increased awareness in the importance of its usage. Student attitudes toward …
Why Are We Writing? This Is Math Class!, Shana Streeks
Why Are We Writing? This Is Math Class!, Shana Streeks
Action Research Projects
In this action research study of my classroom of 8th grade mathematics, I investigated writing in the content area. I have realized how important it is for students to be able to communicate mathematical thoughts to help gain a deeper understanding of the content. As a result of this research, I plan to enforce the use of writing thoughts and ideas regarding math problems. Writers develop skills and generate new thoughts and ideas every time they sit down to write. Writing evolves and grows with ongoing practice, and that means thinking skills mature along with it. Writing is a classroom …
A Monte Carlo Simulation Of The Birthday Problem, Stacey Aldag
A Monte Carlo Simulation Of The Birthday Problem, Stacey Aldag
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
Question, how many people would you need in a group in order for there to be a 50-50 chance that at least two people will share a birthday? Answer, 23 people. But how can this be? There are 365 days in a year and half of that would be 182, so why wouldn’t you need at least 182 people to have a 50-50 chance? Strangely enough the answer to this question is only 23 people are necessary to have a 50% chance at least two people in the group will share a birthday. This situation, where the answer is counter …
Extending A Finite Sequence, Jessica Fricke
Extending A Finite Sequence, Jessica Fricke
Department of Mathematics: Master's of Arts in Teaching, Exam Expository Papers
One of the most common mistakes in school mathematics is to list a few terms of a sequence and ask “What term comes next?” For example, a teacher may write: 1 2 4 … and ask what term comes next? The best answer is “almost anything could be the next term.” But people often find that answer unsatisfying. It helps, instead, to give an example. Perhaps, one might respond by saying: “The next number might be 8, but then again, it might be 7.” This answer might, of course, result in an angry teacher, so you need to be prepared …