Education Commons^™

Modelling Mathematics Problem Solving Item Responses Using A Multidimensional Irt Model, Margaret Wu, Ray Adams

Prof Ray Adams

This research examined students' responses to mathematics problem- solving tasks and applied a general multidimensional IRT model at the response category level. In doing so, cognitive processes were identified and modelled through item response modelling to extract more information than would be provided using conventional practices in scoring items. More specifically, the study consisted of two parts. The first part involved the development of a mathematics problem-solving framework that was theoretically grounded, drawing upon research in mathematics education and cognitive psychology. The framework was then used as the basis for item development. The second part of the research involved the …

Engaging Students To Make Mathematics Interesting, Fun, Intriguing, Puzzling And Personally Satisfying, Dave Tout

David (Dave) Tout

The author asserts that making connections with the real world is the best way to engage most students in the middle years of schooling and to potentially provide a mechanism for making mathematics interesting, fun and personally satisfying. Traditionally, in secondary school mathematics classrooms, teachers start by teaching the abstract mathematics skills and processes and then they find some possible applications afterwards. The author believes this should be the other way around.

Lesson Study : A Professional Learning Model That Actually Makes A Difference, Hilary Hollingsworth, Delwyn Oliver

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

Over the past year, a group of mathematics teachers from one Victorian school engaged in a process of professional learning called Lesson Study. In bi-weekly meetings that focused on the development of a single exemplary lesson, they questioned, pondered, discussed, debated, explored, and examined mathematics, and the teaching and learning of mathematics. This paper describes the process and the outcomes of what these teachers consider to be the most powerful professional learning they have experienced.

The Development Of A Single Scale For Mapping Progress In Mathematical Competence, Ross Turner, Gayl O'Connor

Gayl O'Connor

The authors’ intention is to develop a progress map that describes increasing mathematical competence. The main purpose of this chapter is to describe the means by which the research team has been able to use the data from a longitudinal testing program to build and refine a picture of growth in mathematical competence. In this chapter, conceptualisation of the underlying variable to be measured in developing a mathematical progress map is considered, and approaches to its development are discussed. The approach adopted is described and the results of the application of that methodology to the data generated through this research …

Mathematics Teaching In The United States Today (And Tomorrow) : Results From The Timss 1999 Video Study, James Hiebert, James Stigler, Jennifer Jacobs, Karen Givvin, Helen Garnier, Margaret Smith, Hilary Hollingsworth, Alfred Manaster, Diana Wearne, Ronald Gallimore

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 Video Study examined eighth-grade mathematics teaching in the United States and six higher-achieving countries. A range of teaching systems were found across higher-achieving countries that balanced attention to challenging content, procedural skill, and conceptual understanding in different ways. The United States displayed a unique system of teaching, not because of any particular feature but because of a constellation of features that reinforced attention to lower-level mathematics skills. The authors argue that these results are relevant for policy (mathematics) debates in the United States because they provide a current account of what …

From Research To Practice : Using The Timss Video Study Findings To Enhance Australian Mathematics Teaching, Hilary Hollingsworth

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

The findings of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 Video Study have been reported at both international and national levels, however its impact on Australian mathematics teaching has yet to be realised. How can the results of the video study inform teachers' efforts toward excellence in mathematics teaching in Australia? This paper highlights some of the findings and recommendations in the national report, 'Teaching Mathematics in Australia: Results from the TIMSS 1999 Video Study', and anticipates ways that the products of the study might be used for improving teaching and teacher development. The broad purpose of the …

Scale For Mapping Progress In Mathematical Competencies, Ross Turner, Gayl O'Connor, Thomas Romberg

Gayl O'Connor

No abstract provided.

Summing It Up : Mathematics Achievement In Australian Schools In Timss 2002, Nicole Fleming, Sue Thomson

Nicole Wernert

This document analyses and interprets the Australian data collected as part of the TIMSS study for Year 4 and Year 8 students.

The Timss 1999 Video Study And Its Relevance To Australian Mathematics Education Research, Innovation, Networking, And Opportunities., Hilary Hollingsworth

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

Results from the mathematics portion of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999 Video Study, comparing videotaped Year 8 mathematics lessons from seven countries, were released in March 2003. This paper presents selected findings from that study, with a focus on those results that might be of particular interest to Australian educators. In addition, the paper considers ways in which the results and products from this study can make a lasting contribution to the field of mathematics education. Three areas are described: the innovation associated with the study's 'video survey' research methodology; the networking possibilities for mathematics educators …

Association Between Intended And Attained Algebra Curriculum In Timss 1998/1999 For Ten Countries, Alla Routitsky, Susan Zammit

Dr Alla Routitsky

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study- Repeat 1998/1999 (TIMSS) assessed the mathematics and science achievement of students in their second year of high school. In addition to achievement tests, extensive information was collected from students and teachers. Of the 38 countries that took part, the overall results in mathematics of eleven countries, including Australia were not statistically different. Following the TIMSS research model, this article examines the association between three levels of curriculum, the intended curriculum, the implemented and the attained curriculum. In particular, this paper compares the achievement in four algebra topics for those students whose teachers reported …

A Survey Of Graphics Calculator Use In Victorian Secondary Schools, Alla Routitsky, Patrick Tobin

Dr Alla Routitsky

In 1997, Victoria became the first state to permit the use of graphics calculators in final external examinations. The action was seen as radical for both social and educational reasons. Concerns were raised about the propriety of using the calculators and whether their use would add to existing educational disparities. With the support of the Board of Studies, a survey of secondary schools was undertaken to gauge the response to this decision and inform further action on graphics calculator use in mathematical courses.

Change Trajectories In Teacher Professional Growth, Hilary Hollingsworth

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

This paper reports some aspects of the professional growth of two Victorian mathematics teachers involved in the study and introduces the use of 'change trajectories' as a suitable mechanism for describing the growth process. The researcher made use of the Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth for examining the process of change.

Nmbrthry (Number Theory), Raleigh Muns

Raleigh Muns