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Eric.ed.gov – A Perspective on Race Equity and Science and Math Education: Toward Making Science and Math for All.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This keynote address focuses on equity in science and mathematics education. The science and math achievement of minority and poor children are discussed from an instructional policy perspective with emphasis on who gets access to what knowledge. The discussion about the politics of knowledge acquisition involves a discussion of race, class, and gender and highlights the fact that even though there have been substantial gains, the fact remains that a student’s status as minority or poor or female severely impairs that student’s likelihood of acquiring a quality educational experience, particularly with regard to science and math. An analysis of data reveals that with respect to curriculum there are no substandard schools; however, there are significant differences in teacher qualifications and teacher attitudes. Compared to students not in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Math Penpals! Developing Written Communication in Mathematics.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Communication in the mathematics classroom is currently viewed as an integral part of mathematics instruction. This paper explores the usefulness of math penpal letters as a means of increasing the quality of written communication in mathematics. The focus of this study is the letter writing exchanges between a class of 4th-grade students (n=28) and preservice teachers (n=27) attending a mathematics education course. The letter exchanges occurred over a period of three months, and the writing was examined for its content and style. It also served as a window through which teachers could glean some otherwise inaccessible information about students. Explorations into writing math penpal letters attest to their richness and potential for developing written communication in mathematics. The penpal exchanges also helped preservice teachers think about mathematics… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – QARs + Tables = Successful Comprehension of Math Word Problems.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In this lesson, students identify the question-answer relationship (QAR) for word problems that relate to a graphic or table. They then use the QAR strategy to determine the mathematical and cognitive actions required to answer the word problem. This activity is particularly appropriate for fourth- and fifth-grade students. During two 40-minute sessions, students will: preview tables to stimulate prior knowledge, make predictions, interact with print, and generate questions and answers about the content; understand that the format of a table supports comprehension of the relationship between data and the self-monitoring of responses to questions; practice analyzing word problems using the QAR strategy to predict a computation strategy and determine a response; understand that the type of question may indicate the need for different cognitive and mathematical actions;… Continue Reading