Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

A Survey Of Significant Developments In Undergraduate Mathematics Education Over The Past Decade, Ron Buckmire

Ron Buckmire

Encouraging Literacy And Mathematics Achievement Through Study Of Real Estate, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Lori T. Meier, Karin J. Keith, Erin E. Doran, Edward J. Dwyer

Karin Keith

The era of high stakes testing often puts pressure on teachers and administrators to deemphasize creative activities not perceived as directly related to improving test scores. Alternatively, the authors propose that using environmental text is essential for encouraging overall learning competencies in general and reading/writing/ and mathematical achievement in particular. The authors propose that using real estate booklets can be helpful in generating learning activities in literacy, social studies, and mathematics. In addition, integrating music and art comfortably accompanies strategies presented. Real estate booklets are colorful, rich in content, and readily available at no expense.

Journal Rankings And Representation In Mathematics Education, Samuel Otten, Ryan Andrew Nivens

Ryan Andrew Nivens

Excerpt: Publish or perish has long been the mantra academics live by. For decades, this referred to a list of publications on a researcher’s Curriculum Vitae.

Encouraging Literacy And Mathematics Achievement Through Study Of Real Estate, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Lori T. Meier, Karin J. Keith, Erin E. Doran, Edward J. Dwyer

Ryan Andrew Nivens

The era of high stakes testing often puts pressure on teachers and administrators to deemphasize creative activities not perceived as directly related to improving test scores. Alternatively, the authors propose that using environmental text is essential for encouraging overall learning competencies in general and reading/writing/ and mathematical achievement in particular. The authors propose that using real estate booklets can be helpful in generating learning activities in literacy, social studies, and mathematics. In addition, integrating music and art comfortably accompanies strategies presented. Real estate booklets are colorful, rich in content, and readily available at no expense.

A Comparison Of Two Job Offers In Mathematics Education, Ryan Andrew Nivens

Ryan Andrew Nivens

Many job seekers in higher education are unaware of how large a discrepancy there can be in terms of financial potential for mathematics education jobs in higher education. Recent research on this topic has focused on the base salary (Reys, Reys, & Estapa, 2013), but other financial factors have been left unstudied. Through two cases, the researcher demonstrates a large gap that exists in net pay when major financial factors beyond base salary are considered, specifically insurance and retirement benefits. This article will spur conversations among faculty and graduate students in mathematics education doctoral programs allowing mentors to draw from …

Using A Computer Science-Based Board Game To Develop Preschoolers' Mathematics, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Rosemary Geiken

Ryan Andrew Nivens

There is a critical need to teach computer science (CS) in order to assure that our nation remains competitive globally [6]. CS is a new basic skill necessary for economic opportunity [6] but is rarely taught before age 6 and only using electronic devices [1]. This presents a challenge for those concerned with “screen time” inherent in electronic devices [2] and for children in poverty with little access to electronic devices [3]. Coding, creating a series of commands that a computer carries out, is a component of CS and can be introduced as early as preschool age and results in …

Teaching Undergraduates How To Analyze, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Rosalind Raymond Gann

Ryan Andrew Nivens

Analysis is typically the first of the higher functions listed in taxonomies of higher order thinking. Academics consider these upper categories extremely worthwhile, but they are hard to teach and we are apt to ignore them. Today higher education is being criticized for “dumbing down” curriculum or lowering standards. To rectify this, many policies at the state or national level are requiring higher education institutions to change. In K‐12 education, Race to the Top and Common Core requirements are placing new demands on K‐12 teacher preparation, which include evaluation of the analysis skills of pre‐service teachers. But professors do not …

Assessing Journal Quality In Mathematics Education, Samuel Otten, Ryan Andrew Nivens

Ryan Andrew Nivens

Excerpt: In this study, we triangulate the rankings in Table 1 with other measures of journal quality offered through database algorithms.

Assessing Journal Quality In Mathematics Education, Ryan Andrew Nivens, Samuel Otten

Ryan Andrew Nivens

No abstract provided.

Student Perceptions Of Classroom Environments In Streamed Middle Secondary Mathematics Classes In Australian Christian Schools, Peter W. Kilgour, Tony Rickards

Peter Kilgour

This paper reports on a study into the perceptions students have of the learning environment in Year 9 and 10 mathematics classrooms when the classes are streamed. The sample consisted of 581 students in Years 9 and 10 in 7 different Christian independent schools across Australia. The What is Happening in the Classroom (WIHIC) inventory was used along with a qualitative analysis of interviews with a subset of participants. Results included: students in lower stream mathematics classes report significantly less positive perceptions of their classroom learning environments than students in upper stream mathematics classes, the areas rated most negatively by …

Session F : Are Australian Mathematical Foundations Solid Enough For The 21st Century?, Ross Turner, Dave Tout

David (Dave) Tout

This presentation will look at some key messages from the Australian results of both the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). PISA assesses the mathematical literacy of 15-year-old students around Australia, whilst PIAAC assesses the numeracy proficiency of adults aged 15–74. What do the two surveys assess and are they telling a similar story? How solid are Australia’s mathematical foundations and what do they say about teaching and learning? How do Australia’s results compare internationally with those leading the field? What are some of the research outcomes and implications …

Session F : Are Australian Mathematical Foundations Solid Enough For The 21st Century?, Ross Turner, Dave Tout

Ross Turner

This presentation will look at some key messages from the Australian results of both the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). PISA assesses the mathematical literacy of 15-year-old students around Australia, whilst PIAAC assesses the numeracy proficiency of adults aged 15–74. What do the two surveys assess and are they telling a similar story? How solid are Australia’s mathematical foundations and what do they say about teaching and learning? How do Australia’s results compare internationally with those leading the field? What are some of the research outcomes and implications …

Tracie Salinas.Jpg, Tracie Mclemore Salinas

Dr. Tracie McLemore Salinas

No abstract provided.

Facilitating Changes In College Teaching Practices: Instructional Reform, Identity Conflict And Professional Community In A K-20 Partnership, Stacy Olitsky

Stacy Olitsky

In this paper, I explain variation in the adoption of student-centred teaching practices among college faculty members in a program designed to promote K-20 instructional reform. I analyze data from a qualitative study of a Math and Science Partnership in order to understand why some faculty members had undergone extensive changes to their practices whereas others had not, even though both groups had demonstrated changes in their beliefs. Findings show that when collective identities focused on reform become more salient than the role identities associated with their teaching positions, faculty members are able to persist through the loss of self-efficacy …

Mathematical Literacy: Are We There Yet?, Ross Turner

Ross Turner

Addressing Impulsive Disposition: Using Non-Proportional Problems To Overcome Overgeneralization Of Proportionality, Kien Lim, Osvaldo Morera

Kien H Lim

Impulsive disposition is an undesirable way of thinking where one spontaneously applies the first idea that comes to mind without checking its relevance. In this research, we explore (a) the possibility of helping pre-service teachers improve their disposition, from being impulsive to being analytic, in one semester, and (b) the effect of using non-proportional situations. This study involves two sections of a mathematics course for pre-service teachers for Grades 4-8. The lessons were designed whenever possible to elicit students’ impulsive disposition so that they could become cognizant of it and make conscious attempts to overcome it. Some test items were …

Using Critical Incident Reflections: A Self-Study As A Mathematics Teacher Educator, Joanne E. Goodell

Joanne E Goodell

In this paper, I report the results of a 4-year study into how my students learn to become mathematics teachers during the combined 15-week methods and field placement course I teach. At the start of most weekly methods class meetings, groups of three or four students reported their critical incidents to each other, and then chose one incident to report to the whole class. Each student then submitted a written report of 10 critical incidents for grading. At the end of each semester, I administered a questionnaire about the usefulness of each of the elements of the course. Using these …

The Northeast Ohio Model Schools Project: A Pathway To Scaling Up Reform In Mathematics And Science, Joanne E. Goodell, Francis S. Broadway, Linda Gojak

Joanne E Goodell

The Northeast Ohio Model Schools Institute (NOMSI) provided professional development for school-based leadership teams in standards-based mathematics and science teaching practices and leadership skills. Leadership teams from six local school districts were recruited to attend a two-week summer institute in August 2001, which focused on national standards, principles of effective professional development, an understanding of the conditions necessary for change. One or two faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences at each university also participated in the summer institute. Teams prepared a professional development plan for their school or district and received a mini-grant to implement their plan. Coaches—experts …

The Northeast Ohio Model Schools Project: A Pathway To Scaling Up Reform In Mathematics And Science, Joanne E. Goodell, Francis S. Broadway, Linda Gojak

Francis Broadway

The Northeast Ohio Model Schools Institute (NOMSI) provided professional development for school-based leadership teams in standards-based mathematics and science teaching practices and leadership skills. Leadership teams from six local school districts were recruited to attend a two-week summer institute in August 2001, which focused on national standards, principles of effective professional development, an understanding of the conditions necessary for change. One or two faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences at each university also participated in the summer institute. Teams prepared a professional development plan for their school or district and received a mini-grant to implement their plan. Coaches—experts …

Assessing The Impact Of Sustained Professional Development On Middle School Mathematics Teachers, Joanne E. Goodell, Lesley H. Parker, Jane Butler Kahle

Joanne E Goodell

The study reported in this paper examines the impact of the Ohio Statewide Systemic Initiative (SSI) on participating mathematics teachers. Quantitative data from 90 SSI-trained teachers and 400 teachers without training, along with qualitative data collected from seven SSI teachers who were visited in their classrooms are presented. Analysis of the quantitative data showed that SSI and Non-SSI teachers reported significantly different frequencies of reformed teaching practices and held significantly different views about the nature and pedagogy of mathematics. Qualitative data from the interviews highlighted that the SSI professional development experience, the ability to find creative ways to overcome lack …