Education Commons^™

Perceptions On Proof And The Teaching Of Proof: A Comparison Across Preservice Secondary Teachers In Australia, Usa And Korea, Kristin Lesseig, Gregory Hine, Gwi Soo Na

Education Papers and Journal Articles

Despite the recognised importance of mathematical proof in secondary education, there is a limited but growing body of literature indicating how preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) view proof and the teaching of proof. The purpose of this survey research was to investigate how PSMTs in Australia, the USA and Korea perceive of proof in the context of secondary mathematics teaching and learning. PSMTs were able to outline various mathematical and pedagogical aspects of proof, including purposes, characteristics, reasons for teaching and imposed constraints. In addition, PSMTs attended to differing, though overlapping, features of proof when asked to determine the extent …

Love In Education: West Australian Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers' Perspectives On Children's Right To Be Loved And Its Actualisation Within Their Future Practice, Dee O'Connor, Christine Robinson, Linda Cranley, G Johnson, Ainslie Robinson

Education Papers and Journal Articles

Children's right to love is a recognised fundamental human need set down within the 1992 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This recognition stems from an acknowledgement that the Early Years of Development are emotionally driven (Degotardi, S., & Sweller, N. (2012). Mind-mindedness in infant child-care: Associations with early childhood practitioner sensitivity and stimulation. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27(2), 253–265. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2011.09.002.). Young children respond best to those with whom they experience love and acceptance (Carter, M. A., & Fewster, C. (2013). Diversifying early years’ professional learning: One size no longer fits all. Australasian Journal of …

The Challenges Of Beginning Teacher Induction: A Collective Case Study, Sean Kearney

Education Papers and Journal Articles

The induction of beginning teachers is an imperative process in enculturating teachers to their new careers and helping them overcome the hurdles in the early years of teaching and the registration processes teachers undergo. Although induction practices in Australia have become more common in recent years, the data shows there is still much work to do. The current article presents a collective case study of six induction programs, which sought to ascertain the nature of beginning teacher induction in the independent school sector in NSW. Although difficult to generalise across the entire schooling sector, it is likely that the cases …

Reasons Why I Didn't Enrol In A Higher-Level Mathematics Course: Listening To The Voice Of Australian Senior Secondary Students, Gregory Hine

Education Papers and Journal Articles

This research project investigated the reasons why senior secondary school students elect not to enrol in a higher mathematics course. All Year 11 and Year 12 mathematics students within Western Australian schools (aged 17–18 years) were invited to participate in a single, anonymous, online survey comprised predominantly of qualitative items. In line with a symbolic interactionist theoretical perspective, participant responses (n = 1351) were analysed to determine the meaning students conferred upon decisions to enrol in mathematics courses. In particular, responses indicated that students are dissatisfied with mathematics, there are other more viable courses of study to undertake, and that …

Proof By Contradiction: Teaching And Learning Considerations In The Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Gregory Hine

Education Papers and Journal Articles

This professional practice paper is underpinned philosophically by the indisputable centrality of proof to the discipline of mathematics. Proof offers students the opportunity to deepen their own understanding of mathematical ideas, to construct and defend logical arguments, and to think critically about the veracity of mathematical statements. Such opportunities afford students key skills required for further study, and arguably for a myriad of careers. Proof by contradiction is a particular mathematical technique taught in Australian senior secondary classrooms (ACMSM025, ACMSM063) which will be explored in this paper. In particular, several worked examples will be outlined alongside implications for best instructional …

Using Immersive And Modelling Environments To Build Scientific Capacity In Primary Preservice Teacher Education, Reem Mohammed, Shannon Kennedy-Clark, Peter Reimann

Education Papers and Journal Articles

Research has shown that primary school teachers often have a poor background in science and scientific concepts, and as a consequence may feel particularly under-prepared to teach science. This study examines the effect of an intervention that investigated the knowledge and understanding of science concepts for a group of 8 first-year preservice primary teachers. The intervention consisted of engaging the participants using two technology-based resources: Omosa, a 3D game-like virtual learning environment (VLE), and Omosa NetLogo, a simulation/modelling environment. A small-N study design was used in this study to determine whether or not the intervention resulted in improving preservice teachers’ …

Promoting Resilience For Teachers: Pre-Service And In-Service Professional Learning, Caroline Mansfield, Susan Beltman

Education Papers and Journal Articles

No abstract available for this publication.

Challenging Identity: Development Of A Measure Of Veterinary Career Motivations, Martin Cake, Michelle L. Mcarthur, Caroline F. Mansfield, Sanaa Zaki, Kira Carbonneau, Susan M. Matthew

Education Papers and Journal Articles

Background: While little is known about the motivations underpinning veterinary work, previous literature has suggested that the main influences on veterinary career choice are early/formative exposure to animals or veterinary role models. The aim of this study was to develop and provisionally validate a veterinary career motivations questionnaire to assess the strength of various types of career motivations in graduating and experienced veterinarians.

Methods: A cross-sectional sample of experienced veterinarians (n=305) and a smaller cohort of newly graduated veterinarians (n=53) were surveyed online using a long-form questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to iteratively derive a final, short-form questionnaire …

Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Self-Perceptions Of Readiness To Teach Secondary School Mathematics, Gregory Hine, Thuan Thai

Education Papers and Journal Articles

It has been argued that pre-service mathematics teachers (PSMTs) must possess a substantial level of both mathematical content knowledge and mathematical pedagogical knowledge to teach mathematics effectively. Therefore, studies have often evaluated teachers’ classroom readiness against these factors. However, to-date, only a few studies have sought PSMTs’ perceptions of their own readiness to teach. In this study, we evaluated PSMTs’ self-perceptions of readiness to teach secondary mathematics. Specifically, PSMTs’ self-perceptions of classroom readiness were explored in terms of mathematical content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and mathematical knowledge for teaching. The study was conducted at an Australian university with campuses in …