Abstract:"This paper discusses the results of a pilot st
udy that explored how
prospective secondary
school teachers are shaped by learni
ng experiences during their undergraduate
mathematics education. The collabora
tive study, which was conducted by a
mathematician and a mathematics educator, dr
ew from the experiences of prospective
teachers in a non-traditional undergraduate ma
thematics program that makes extensive
use of technology. Analysis of data collect
ed from detailed questionnaires, journals, and
focus group discussions strongly suggests
that designing, implementing, and testing
Learning Objects promotes prospective teache
rs' learning of the mathematics needed for
teaching. Furthermore, the analysis shows t
hat prospective teachers' experiences of
ownership, engagement, and pride are key
to positive learning experiences. "
LOGIN: http://tinyurl.com/math20event
Mind the Daylight Saving Time!
Geoff Roulet and Jill Lazarus will discuss their use of wikis, GeoGebra and Jing with students, and invite participants for an extended DIY exploration. More details concerning the software required are below.
All events in the Math Future weekly series: http://mathfuture.wikispaces.com/events
The recording will be at: http://mathfuture.wikispaces.com/SupportingCollaborativeMath
Your time zone: http://bit.ly/z69yzS
About Blended Mathematical Collaboration using a Wiki, GeoGebra and Jing
This discussion centers on the use of computer tools in a high school class. The goal was to develop a "math-talk learning community" to establish mathematics communication and collaboration as a classroom norm. In support of this we have combined the use of a wiki, GeoGebra, and Jing.
We would like to invite educators who have experience with wikis, GeoGebra and screencasts, or who would like to learn more, to discuss our project and share their ideas.
Event Hosts
Geoff is the skipper of and Jill a crew member on Jeannie, a J35 racing yacht. When not sailing, they are mathematics educators.
After graduate work at the University of Waterloo, Geoff Roulet began teaching mathematics, computer science, and chemistry at Roland Michener Secondary School in Timmins, northern Ontario. In the late 1970s, when personal computers for computer science were placed in the back of his classroom, Geoff began using these to support student learning in mathematics. Since then he has been involved in ICT use in teaching and learning at all grades and in all subjects, but with a particular focus on mathematics. Teaching was followed by a short spell of curriculum development and support work with the Ontario Ministry of Education and then in 1990 a move to the Faculty of Education, Queen's University at Kingston. Along the way Geoff completed M.Ed. and D.Ed. degrees at the Ontario Institute for Studies
Review of Conway's Mathematical Connections, written for undergraduate mathematics courses, with the aim that instructors help students find connections across branches of math. Two similar books for undergraduates, recently published, are mentioned as well.
Abstract: "A simulated academic career was combined with inquiry-based learning in an upper-division
undergraduate mathematics course. Concepts such as tenure, professional conferences and
journals were simulated. Simulation procedures were combined with student-led, inquirybased
classroom formats. A qualitative analysis (ethnography) describes the culture that
emerged within the simulation during a pilot test. A discussion follows evaluating the
potential for career simulations to invite students to consider graduate studies and academic
careers in the STEM disciplines."
"The aim of this article is to illustrate a pedagogical strategy originally introduced elsewhere [8, 9]
of linking the application-oriented, computer-enabled experiential approach to K-12 mathematics with the
applied, project-based approach to the teaching of university mathematics at the undergraduate level."
Abstract: "This research seeks to look into the design process that promotes the development of an educational computer
game that supports teaching and learning processes. The research specifically looks at the design of an educational
computer game for teaching and learning of the topic of functions. The topic is essential in the teaching and
learning of Mathematics courses such as Discrete Mathematics, Real Analysis and Calculus among others at Jomo
Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) Kenya. The computer game was developed using the
Basic Unified process (BUP) which is a streamlined version of the rational unified process (RUP). This is an object
oriented methodology mostly used for small projects with few end users. Due to the few numbers of end users we
used interview method of data collection to gather requirements for the computer game. A paper prototype was
used to validate the requirements. Use cases were used for both analysis and design of the game while Class
diagrams and activity diagrams were purely used for the design of the game. Owens' six top level design anatomy
aided in the design of the computer game. The overall computer game design was based on Crawfords' computer
game design sequence model. The well designed and developed game met all its user requirements and was able
to facilitate the teaching and learning of functions to Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science
students who were taking Discrete mathematics in their first year of study at JKUATs' Taita/Taveta campus.
Development of heuristics for measuring interest, fun and motivation are recommendations given to aid in the
evaluation of user satisfaction of educational computer games."
LOG IN February 22, 2012 at 2pm Eastern US time: http://tinyurl.com/math20event
During the event, John Mason will lead a conversation about multiplication as scaling, and answer questions about his books, projects and communities.
All events in the Math Future weekly series: http://mathfuture.wikispaces.com/events
The recording will be at: http://mathfuture.wikispaces.com/JohnMason
Your time zone: http://bit.ly/wQYN1Y
Event challenge!
What good multiplication tasks about scaling do you know?
Share links and thoughts!
John writes about elastic multiplication: "It is often said that 'multiplication is repeated addition' when what is meant is that 'repeated addition is an instance of multiplication'. I have been developing some tasks which present 'scaling as multiplication' based around familiarity with elastic bands. Participants would benefit from having an elastic (rubber) band to hand which they have cut so as to make a strip; wider is better than thinner if you have a choice."
About John Mason
John Mason has been teaching mathematics ever since he was asked to tutor a fellow student when he was fifteen. In college he was at first unofficial tutor, then later an official tutor for mathematics students in the years behind him, while tutoring school students as well. After a BSc at Trinity College, Toronto in Mathematics, and an MSc at Massey College, Toronto, he went to Madison Wisconsin where he encountered Polya's film 'Let Us Teach Guessing', and completed a PhD in Combinatorial Geometry. The film released a style of teaching he had experienced at high school from his mathematics teacher Geoff Steel, and his teaching changed overnight.
His first appointment was at the Open University, which involved among other things the design and implementation of the first mathematics summer school (5000 students over 11 weeks on three sites in parallel). He called upon his experience of being taught, to institute active-problem-solving sessions, w
"the National Research Council (NRC) convened two public workshops to examine the impact and effectiveness of selected STEM undergraduate education innovations. This volume summarizes the workshops, which addressed such topics as the link between learning goals and evidence; promising practices at the individual faculty and institutional levels; classroom-based promising practices; and professional development for graduate students, new faculty, and veteran faculty. The workshops concluded with a broader examination of the barriers and opportunities associated with systemic change."
"This book is designed to provide mathematics undergraduates with some historical background to the material that is now taught universally to students in their final years at school and the first years at college or university: the core subjects of calculus, analysis, and abstract algebra, along with others such as mechanics, probability, and number theory. All of these evolved into their present form in a relatively limited area of western Europe from the mid sixteenth century onwards, and it is there that we find the major writings that relate in a recognizable way to contemporary mathematics."
From the abstract: "This research examined the effects of the objectifying gaze on math performance, interaction motivation, body surveillance, body
shame, and body dissatisfaction. In an experiment, undergraduate participants (67 women and 83 men) received an objectifying
gaze during an interaction with a trained confederate of the other sex. As hypothesized, the objectifying gaze caused decrements
in women'smath performance but notmen's. Interestingly, the objectifying gaze also increased women's, but notmen's,motivation
to engage in subsequent interactions with their partner. Finally, the objectifying gaze did not influence body surveillance, body
shame, or body dissatisfaction forwomen or men. One explanation for themath performance and interaction motivation findings is
stereotype threat. To the degree that the objectifying gaze arouses stereotype threat, math performance may decrease because it
conveys that women's looks are valued over their other qualities. Furthermore, interaction motivation may increase because
stereotype threat arouses belonging uncertainty or concerns about social connections. As a result, the objectifying gazemay trigger
a vicious cycle in which women underperform but continue to interact with the people who led them to underperform in the first
place. Implications for long-term consequences of the objectifying gaze and directions for future research are discussed." (Full text available online (.pdf) )for now) ) (Winner of the 2011 Georgia Babladelis Best Paper Award)
"The Middle School Stream aims to motivate and engage middle school students (grades 5 through 8) in STEM learning, 21st Century Literacy Skills and Systems Thinking by challenging them to design original video games.
The High School Stream aims to motivate and engage high school students (grades 9 through 12) in STEM learning, 21st Century Literacy Skills and Systems Thinking by challenging them to design original video games.
The Collegiate Stream challenges emerging game developers at the graduate and undergraduate levels to design video games for children (grades pre-K through 8) that teach key STEM concepts and foster an interest in STEM subject areas.
The Educator Stream challenges educators to design video games for children (grades pre-K through 12) that teach key STEM concepts and foster an interest in STEM subject areas."
Abstract: "A Learning Assistant program that recruits strong STEM undergraduates to become mathematics teachers was explored through a qualitative study. Three program participants were purposely selected and interviewed. The program reaffirmed one participant's choice to become a teacher and clarified for one that it might be a career for him."
"The participants of this study were undergraduate students at a university in Western Canada. They were enrolled in a Secondary Mathematics methods course as part of their program. A total of 21 students (10 males and 11 females) in the class participated voluntarily, ranging from ages 20 to 45 years old. " Surveyed before and after they design math games for the classroom.
"The article reports the main insights gained from a study that implemented a
game-enhanced learning environment for the training of pre-service
elementary school teachers. Teachers taking an undergraduate mathematics
methods course experienced some of the ways in which online educational
games could help students internalize key mathematical concepts across the
school curriculum while at the same time improving their attitudes towards the
subject. The course also familiarized teachers with the design principles for
constructivist gaming environments. Findings indicate a positive impact on
teachers' competence in selecting, evaluating, and productively using online
games as an instructional tool."
My blog. Contains intuitive explanation of mathematics topics ranges from elementary to undergraduate. Discussess integration of computers in teaching math. Lots of Tutorials: GeoGebra, Wordpress blogging, Geometer's Sketchpad, etc.