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Eric.ed.gov – Vital Signs: Texas

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Business leaders in Texas cannot find the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent they need to stay competitive. Students’ lagging performance in K-12 is a critical reason why. The good news is that the nation’s most effective STEM education programs can help turn the tide. Texas students have made real progress in math since, 2003, though they have given up some of those gains over the past five years. Texas students spend more time than their peers in other states on elementary science, and they participate in more hands-on learning. Yet not all students have access and support to learn challenging content and prepare for success in college and careers. Boosting the knowledge of middle school science and math teachers should be a top state priority.… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Vital Signs: Iowa

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Business leaders in Iowa cannot find the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent they need to stay competitive. Students’ lagging performance in K-12 is a critical reason why. The good news is that the nation’s most effective STEM education programs can help turn the tide. Student performance in K-12 math and science has not moved far since 2003, and large racial and ethnic achievement gaps persist, as in all states. Not enough students get the chance to learn rich and challenging content that prepares them for college and careers, and few eighth graders–least of all students of color–have teachers with an undergraduate major in math or science. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Vital Signs: Arizona

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Business leaders in Arizona cannot find the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent they need to stay competitive. Students’ lagging performance in K-12 is a critical reason why. The good news is that the nation’s most effective STEM education programs can help turn the tide. Arizona students have already made real progress in math over the past decade. Yet not enough Arizona students, least of all minorities, have the chance to learn challenging content to prepare them for college and careers, and math and science teachers say they lack the resources they need. In addition, science does not yet seem to be a priority in Arizona. Students spend little time on science in elementary grades. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Vital Signs: Alabama

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Business leaders in Alabama cannot find the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent they need to stay competitive. Students’ lagging performance in K-12 is a critical reason why. The good news is that the nation’s most effective STEM education programs can help turn the tide. Alabama students have already made real progress in math over the past decade. Yet not enough have the chance to learn rich and challenging content to prepare them for college and careers. The state’s eighth graders are also much less likely than their peers in other states to engage in hands-on science investigations, and most don’t have teachers with an undergraduate major in math. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Middle School Science and Mathematics Teachers’ Conceptions of the Nature of Science: A One-Year Study on the Effects of Explicit and Reflective Online Instruction

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has become one of the main priorities in the United States. Science education communities and researchers advocate for integration of STEM disciplines throughout the teaching curriculum. This requires teacher knowledge in STEM disciplines, as well as competence in scientific literacy. Since nature of science (NOS) is a critical component of scientific literacy, this study examined teachers’ conceptions NOS over a one-year period. Participants included 21 middle school science and mathematics teachers who integrated science and mathematics in their classrooms. We employed two NOS instruments to collect data on participants’ NOS conceptions “before” and “after” a one-year online graduate program. This study examined changes in NOS understanding for the group as a whole, between science and mathematics teachers, and whether beginning… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Educators’ Perceptions of Mathematically Gifted Students and a Socially Supportive Learning Environment–A Case Study of a Finnish Upper Secondary School

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This article explores five educators’ conceptions of the characteristics of mathematically gifted students and a social learning environment that supports their development in a school for mathematically gifted adolescents in Finland. We conducted this qualitative study through semi-structured interviews and participant observations in a Finnish upper secondary school with a special mathematics program. The research shows that gifted students and their educators form a tight community, the social learning environment of which supports shared motivation, healthy perfectionism, and practicing social skills. The results deepen the understanding of gifted education in the Finnish context and the significance of educators’ shared understanding of social activities as a basis for successful gifted education. Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Achievement Effects of Four Early Elementary School Math Curricula: Findings from First Graders in 39 Schools. NCEE 2009-4053. Executive Summary

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The purpose of this large-scale, national study is to determine whether some early elementary school math curricula are more effective than others at improving student math achievement, thereby providing educators with information that may be useful for making adequate yearly progress (AYP). This report presents results from the first cohort of first grade in 39 schools participating in the evaluation during the 2006-2007 school year, with the goal of determining the relative effects of different early elementary math curricula on student math achievement in disadvantaged schools. The report also examines whether curriculum effects differ for student subgroups in different instructional settings. A competitive process was used to select four curricula Investigations in Number, Data, and Space; Math Expressions; Saxon Math; and Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Mathematics) that represent… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Creating Connections: The Internet and Teacher Isolation.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Four 3-year projects within the Rural Telecomputing Initiative enabled rural teachers in Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, and Tennessee to connect with math and science reform communities and use resources available through the Internet. This study of the projects’ first 2 years examined: (1) whether the projects made a difference in teachers’ isolation and attempts to improve math and science education; and (2) whether resources the projects developed were valuable to rural teachers in reforming math and science education. The study included two written surveys, 9 months apart, of teachers and principals. Evaluation teams visited two participating schools within each local project annually, observing science and mathematics classes; interviewing principals, teachers, and students; and moderating focus groups. Results found that teachers became substantially more comfortable with the Internet. Telecomputing… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Numeracy in Health and Physical Education

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This article describes a teacher’s Maths lesson that focuses on numeracy in health and physical education learning area. In the lesson, the students were learning about Directed Numbers, something they often struggle with and a topic where the teacher finds it hard to explain using real life situations when using addition and subtraction. The teacher began the lesson by outlining what students were expected to achieve. The introduction also included revisiting previous work on how to convert an individual’s number of walking paces to kilometres, as well as directions for the activity that was to follow. The teacher wants to emphasise with other teachers that numeracy is not just about number and that there is great potential to address other strands of mathematics within all learning areas.… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – What Aspects of Mathematical Literacy Should Teachers Focus on from the Student’s Point of View?

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study employed latent class cluster analysis to explore students’ perceptions of what aspects of mathematical literacy, composed of mathematics competencies and attitudes, teachers should focus on. The sample included 1,219 Taiwanese senior high school students and 59 mathematics teachers. Three profiles were identified for mathematics competence, which were characterized as comprehensive, test-oriented, and limited thought-oriented. Regarding mathematics attitudes and mathematics learning attitudes, three profiles were identified and characterized as: broad, math-interior oriented, and mind-focused. Students and teachers differed in their perceptions on the importance of some aspects of mathematical literacy. [For the complete proceedings, see ED597799.] Link til kilde