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Eric.ed.gov – Math and Science Are America’s Future. National Math and Science Initiative Annual Report, 2008

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper presents the annual report of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) for 2008. Eighteen months ago, the National Math and Science Initiative did not exist. Today NMSI is helping lead the country forward in math and science. In just 18 months, NMSI has rolled out the first round of grants and has implemented programs in 14 vanguard states. In 2007, NMSI awarded grants of $13.2 each to non-profits in six states to institute AP Training and Incentive programs and grants of $2.4 million to 13 institutions of higher learning for the replication of the UTeach training program for math and science teachers. These programs are essential to address two of the country’s most pressing challenges: (1) Getting more American students to master the math… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Ecocritically (Re)Considering STEM Integrated Ecological Inquiry in Teacher Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The acronym STEM is a ubiquitous term for seemingly anything in–or related to–the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and the current dominant educational STEM discourse in teacher education is often organized around questions of how to integrate math and science into the other content areas or vice versa. The purpose of this article is to pose a different question: “How can an ecological model for subject inquiry become the organizing focus for an integrated ecological inquiry?” In this article, the author provides a glimpse of where educators are currently in their thinking and writing as they put theory to work in teacher education. For the past few years, educators have been working on a number of exciting endeavors in teacher education, ranging from theoretical explorations… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Rejecting Platonism: Recovering Humanity in Mathematics Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: In this paper, I consider a pervasive myth in mathematics education, that of Plato-formalism. I show that this myth is ahistorical, acultural, and harmful, both for mathematics and for society. I argue that, as teachers, we should reject the myth of Plato-formalism and instead understand mathematics as a human activity. This philosophy humanizes mathematics and implies that math education should be active, cultural, historical, social, and critical–helping students learn formal mathematics, while also learning that mathematics shapes their lives, that this shaping is a result of human work and choices, and that students are empowered to shape those choices. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – The Impact of Family Involvement on the Education of Children Ages 3 to 8: A Focus on Literacy and Math Achievement Outcomes and Social-Emotional Skills

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This report summarizes research conducted primarily over the past 10 years on how families’ involvement in children’s learning and development through activities at home and at school affects the literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional skills of children ages 3 to 8. A total of 95 studies of family involvement are reviewed. These include both descriptive, nonintervention studies of the actions families take at home and at school, and intervention studies of practices that guide families to conduct activities that strengthen young children’s literacy and math learning. The family involvement research studies are divided into four categories: (1) Learning activities at home, including those that parents engage in to promote their child’s literacy and/or math skills outside school; (2) Family involvement at school, including the actions and interactions that… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Classroom Observations: Documenting Shifts in Instruction for Districtwide Improvement. Formative Evaluation Cycle Report for the Math in Common Initiative, Volume 2

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Math in Common® (MiC) is a five-year initiative that supports a formal network of 10 California school districts as they implement the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSS-M) across grades K-8. This research brief explores how best to select or develop and use classroom observation systems in order to document instructional shifts and inform MiC school district improvement efforts. The report is organized into three main sections: (1) An exploration of what the research literature says about existing observation systems and several design considerations for successful observation systems; (2) A detailed discussion of several considerations of these findings for school districts as they implement observation systems in order to better track and understand how teachers are implementing the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics in their… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Accelerated Math[TM]. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: “Accelerated Math”[TM], published by Renaissance Learning, is a software tool used to customize assignments and monitor progress in mathematics for students in grades 1-12. “Accelerated Math”[TM] creates individualized assignments that align with state standards and national guidelines, scores student work, and generates formative feedback through reports for teachers and students. The software can be used in conjunction with the existing math curriculum to add practice components and aid teachers in differentiating instruction via the program’s progress-monitoring data. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviewed 32 studies on “Accelerated Math”[TM]. One of these studies meets WWC evidence standards; two studies meet WWC evidence standards with reservations; the remaining 29 studies do not meet either WWC evidence standards or eligibility screens. Based on the three studies, the WWC found mixed… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – “Being Good” at Maths: Fabricating Gender Subjectivity

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Current research in mathematics education places emphasis on the analysis of men and women’s accounts about their life trajectories and choices for studying, working and developing a career that involves the learning and teaching of mathematics. Within this realm, the present study aims to highlight how mathematics, gender and subjectivity become interwoven by focusing the analysis on a single case study, that of Irene–a teacher in her early 40s. Based on how she articulates hegemonic discourses and narrates her relation to mathematics from the time she was a schoolgirl up till her recent work as teacher and her endeavours as participant in a professional development teacher training course, we argue how “mathematics” becomes a mythical object for her subjectification. Irene as a female subject appropriates through her… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – The Adoption of Open Educational Resources by One Community College Math Department

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The high cost of textbooks is of concern not only to college students but also to society as a whole. Open textbooks promise the same educational benefits as traditional textbooks; however, their efficacy remains largely untested. We report on one community college’s adoption of a collection of open resources across five different mathematics classes. During the 2012 fall semester, 2,043 students in five different courses used these open access resources. We present a comparison between the previous two years in terms of the number of students who withdrew from the courses and the number that completed the courses with a C grade or better. Our analysis suggests that while there was likely no change in these educational outcomes, students who have access to open access materials collectively… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Teacher’s Guide to the Math Forum’s Problems of the Week

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Problems of the Week (PoWs) are creative, non-routine math challenges for elementary-, middle-, and high-school-level students. They are designed to stimulate student interest in problem solving and to encourage them to communicate their mathematical thinking. This Teacher’s Guide describes program features and provides strategies for beginning the program with students, creating a problem-solving classroom culture fitted around the existing classroom schedule. The Guide also introduces the Math Forum’s scoring rubric and feedback process. The appendices offer step-by-step instructions and additional detailed information about the Math Forum. They include: (1) details on how to search by by level/topic, standard, or textbook and perform Write Math searches; illustrated page how-tos; details about the registration process, how to start students using their subscriptions, and monitoring students’ work; (2) How… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Building a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education Agenda: An Update of State Actions

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: STEM–science, technology, engineering, and mathematics–is critical to and supportive of many education reforms being undertaken today, from adoption of common internationally benchmarked standards to better teacher preparation to enhanced coordination across the entire K-20 education system. In fact, STEM is not a separate reform movement at all; rather, it is an emphasis. It stresses a multidisciplinary approach for better preparing all students in STEM subjects and growing the number of postsecondary graduates who are prepared for STEM occupations. The National Governors Association (NGA) first addressed STEM in its 2007 report, “Building a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Agenda.” That report provided an overview of the STEM-related challenges, opportunities, and actions from the state perspective. This report updates those recommendations in light of recent state progress to improve… Continue Reading