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Eric.ed.gov – Mediating Learning Number Bonds through a Vygotskian Lens of Scientific Concepts

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Children’s learning of early number bonds is a significant issue in South African schools because evidence shows that flexible and efficient (fluent and reasoned) knowledge of number bonds to 20 correlates with success at the end of primary schooling, yet the evidence is that many South African students are over-reliant on inefficient counting methods. This paper focuses on why and how treating early number bonds as scientific concepts may be the key to raising learners’ attainment in these. The paper argues that teacher mediation is crucial and that mediation for learning scientific concepts has to be meaningful, relational and transcendent. This theoretical position is illustrated with examples from a dynamic assessment interview with a Grade 2 learner carried out as part of the Wits Maths Connect —… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Embodiment in Teaching and Learning Early Counting: Grounding Metaphors

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper contributes to the theory and evidence that mathematical cognition is embodied. Drawing on the practices of primary teachers in South Africa engaged in a longitudinal research and development project — Wits Maths Connect–Primary — we report on aspects of lessons aimed at developing number sense through whole-class teacher-learner interaction. Two episodes are analysed from an embodied cognition perspective. The episodes focus on helping Grade 1 (6-year-olds) learners become fluent in counting forward and back or ordering numbers. Analysis reveals different embodied metaphors underlie the teachers’ actions, the nature of which are likely to lead to different learning opportunities. We conclude that our analysis supports a theory of embodied cognition, and demonstrates its usefulness as an analytical tool. [For the complete proceedings, see ED597799.] Link til… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Development of Computational Thinking Scale: Validity and Reliability Study

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Computational thinking is a way of thinking that covers 21st century skills and includes new generation concepts such as robotics, coding, informatics and information construction. Computational thinking has reached an important point especially in the field of science in line with the rapid developments in technology. Robotics applications, software-based activities, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education and problem-based studies are some of the areas where this thinking is used. In this study, which is based on this point, it is aimed to develop a scale for computational thinking. Exploratory sequential design, one of the mixed research methods, was used in the study. First of all, a detailed literature review was conducted and needs analysis was carried out. This study consists of two stages. In the first stage,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Redesigning Schools: To Reach Every Student with Excellent Teachers. Financial Planning for Secondary-Level Time-Technology Swap + Multi-Classroom Leadership

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This brief shows how middle and high school teachers in a Time-Technology Swap school model, with or without Multi-Classroom Leaders, may earn more while reaching more students, sustainably. In this model, students alternate between learning with teachers and working in a digital learning lab, where they learn online and engage in offline skill practice, homework, and project work. This frees the time of teachers to teach more students, plan, and collaborate with their peers in teaching teams. Teaching teams may also have Multi-Classroom Leaders, excellent teachers who are accountable for the outcomes of all the team’s students in a subject and for team members’ job-embedded development. Calculations are shown of when students learn online every other day in core subjects, spending a maximum average of two hours… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Due Diligence and the Evaluation of Teachers: A Review of the Value-Added Analysis Underlying the Effectiveness Rankings of Los Angeles Unified School District Teachers by the “Los Angeles Times”

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: On August 14, 2010, the “Los Angeles Times” published the results of a statistical analysis of student test data to provide information about elementary schools and teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The analysis, covering the period from 2003 to 2009, was put forward as an evaluation of the effects of schools and their teachers on the performance of students taking the reading and math portions of the California Standardized Test. In Los Angeles, teachers were classified into one of five levels of “effectiveness” for their teaching in reading, math and a composite of the two. The decision by the “L.A. Times” to make these results publicly available at a dedicated web site, and to publish an extensive front page story that contrasted–by name–teachers… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Look down from the Sky: Is It a Bird? Is It Superman? No, It’s a Plane

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The plane problem is a real-world problem, presented without any suggestion as to how it might be solved. It arose unexpectedly as the author was messing around on the internet, not thinking about maths at all. She did not encounter the problem in a maths lesson, nor as homework in the middle of a unit on a particular topic, and so she had no clues about what method was going to be useful, or even if she would be able to solve it. All she had–initially at least–was the image of the plane and a mystery: at what altitude is it flying? There is something satisfying about seeing how mathematics can solve a mystery that may appear, at first sight, to be intractable. Students need the opportunity… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching of Student Teachers and Its Enhancement through a Special Final Course

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In this article we describe the results of a special final course, at the main teachers’ college in Mexico, which had two related main objectives: one was to find out the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) held by student teachers (ST) at the end of their instructional preparation. The other was to discern ways to improve this knowledge and to document the changes observed. In teachers’ colleges in Mexico, math contents and pedagogical ideas are taught separately, so we aimed to help student teachers to integrate these. The analysis showed that their knowledge is mainly instrumental but that through discussions and reflection about the main issues, they were able fairly quickly to attain a significant improvement in all the contents included. Moreover, they also showed changes on… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Math Academy: Can You See It in Nature? Explorations in Patterns & Functions. Book 2: Supplemental Math Materials for Grades 3-8

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Created by teachers for teachers, the Math Academy tools and activities included in this booklet were designed to create hands-on activities and a fun learning environment for the teaching of mathematics to students. This booklet contains the “Math Academy–Can You See It in Nature? Explorations in Patterns & Functions,” which a teacher can use to enhance his/her math instruction while staying true to the academic rigor required by the state standards framework. It contains all the activities used for the patterns and functions Math Academy. This Math Academy is designed to help students understand the connection between geometric and numerical patterns (younger students) as well as between patterns and functions (older students). One may choose to implement a grade-level or school-wide Math Academy as the author originally… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Math Academy: Dining Out! Explorations in Fractions, Decimals, & Percents. Book 4: Supplemental Math Materials for Grades 3-8

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Created by teachers for teachers, the Math Academy tools and activities included in this booklet were designed to create hands-on activities and a fun learning environment for the teaching of mathematics to the students. This booklet contains the “Math Academy–Dining Out! Explorations in Fractions, Decimals, and Percents,” which teachers can use to enhance their math instruction while staying true to the academic rigor required by the state standards framework. Included in this booklet are activities the author used for the restaurant Math Academy. This Math Academy is designed to help students understand how to use fractions, decimals, and percents in the context of restaurants and money. In this day of credit and gift cards, children do not have as many real-life opportunities to count money and make… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Strategies for Reducing Math Anxiety. Information Capsule. Volume 1102

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Approximately 93 percent of Americans indicate that they experience some level of math anxiety. Math anxiety is defined as negative emotions that interfere with the solving of mathematical problems. Studies have found that some students who perform poorly on math assessments actually have a full understanding of the concepts being tested; however, their anxiety interferes with their ability to solve mathematical problems. Researchers believe that implementation of strategies to prevent or reduce math anxiety will improve the math achievement of many students. This Information Capsule summarizes strategies that teachers, parents, and students can use to prevent or reduce math anxiety. Link til kilde