eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The factors which discourage prospective teachers from pursuing teaching careers are examined in this study. College freshmen from a medium-sized engineering university in the Midwest were selected to participate in the investigation. Based on responses to a questionnaire, these students were grouped as “teaching oriented” and “non-teaching oriented.” Reasons for not teaching given by the “teaching oriented” students (N=20) included, in order of priority: (1) low salary; (2) not wanting to do the typical things that teachers do each day; (3) concern for job security; (4) low maximum salaries after years of work; and (5) poor job availability. The findings of this study confirm concerns about the level of teaching salaries as a major deterrent to prospective teachers. It was also stated that increased guidance counselor encouragement… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This research investigates the relative effectiveness (in terms of student tested achievement) of Teach for America (TFA) teachers, and examines the validity of the criticisms of TFA. Specifically, the authors look at TFA teachers in secondary schools, and especially in math and science, where considerable program growth is planned over the next few years. Using individual level student data linked to teacher data in North Carolina, the authors estimate the effects of having a TFA teacher compared to a traditional teacher on student performance. The North Carolina data they employ are uniquely suited for this type of analysis because it includes end of course (EOC) testing for students across multiple subjects. This allows them to employ statistical methods that attempt to account for the nonrandom nature of… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This final report and appended conference proceedings describe activities of the Earth Math project, a 3-year effort at Kennesaw State University (Georgia) to broaden and disseminate the concept of Earth Algebra to precalculus and mathematics education courses. Major outcomes of the project were the draft of a precalculus textbook now being reviewed prior to field testing, and a series of independent study modules appropriate for use in mathematics education courses or as supplementary material in algebra and trigonometry courses. Earth Math materials focus on application of mathematics to real world problems and are intended to improve students’ problem-solving and decision-making abilities. The materials are also intended to demonstrate how to implement the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards in school mathematics courses. Separate sections of the… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The Peace Corps (PC) has provided teachers for Nepal’s schools for 25 years. The increasing population and especially the increased demand for educational opportunities is exceeding the supply of available trained teachers. In response to this need, PC/Nepal has shifted its emphasis in the education sector from providing teachers to providing teacher trainers. The purpose of this task analysis is to define this new PC role and to provide systematic information for preservice and inservice training activities. This document contains four sections: (1) task analysis; (2) job description; (3) technical training sessions; and (4) technical readings. The task analysis was developed through interviews and review of program materials and documentation. The other sections were developed based upon the task analysis. The job description, technical training sessions, and… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This standards review is the first in a series of annual reviews of the Colorado Model Content Standards. Its purpose is to identify student performance over time on measures of exiting mathematics standards, identify ways to affirm and strengthen standards and more clearly articulate the practices used by Colorado schools to promote student achievement to those standards. Discussion areas include: (1) national overview of K-12 mathematics; (2) math standards and achievement in Colorado; (3) input from educators; (4) research and financial resources; and (5) characteristics of “math-successful” elementary and secondary schools. Ten recommendations are presented for improving mathematics teaching and performance: (1) Be clear about the math topics students are expected to know at each grade level; (2) Be clear about what specific proficient student work looks… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Three key features of a proposed capstone mathematics course for the preparation of teachers at the secondary level are: 1) teacher candidates examine concepts from the curriculum at a deeper level in the context of rich problems; 2) they investigate common themes in the math curriculum, such as shape and change, then collaborate on and present their research; and 3) they create portfolios of extensions and course reflections, products that require them to engage in higher-level, original thinking. Through this variety of assessments, the instructor is able to see future teachers of mathematics from multiple perspectives: their mathematical knowledge, their dispositions, and their beliefs about what mathematics is and how to effectively communicate the essential ideas. Participants’ reflections indicate that those aspects of the course that have… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This article reports the findings of a study designed to examine the influence of multimodal writing on the communication of mathematical ideas. Elementary school students (ages 8-13) were required to write mathematics notes using two digital writing technologies, a personal digital notepad and a social mathematics blog, in the context of a formal intervention. Forty-two students participated, across three schools. The study showed that when students wrote notes that could be assessed for correctness, their answers were predominately right, indicating that mathematical sense-making was taking place. It also showed that the digital notepad and blog were used differently and that the type of technology influences the writing content. Moreover, students’ mathematical writing were understandable by their peers and students collaboratively explored solutions. Younger students were more likely… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The article contains general information about the use of specialized mathematics software in the preparation of math teachers. The authors indicate the reasons to study the mathematics software. In particular, they analyze the possibility of presenting basic mathematical courses using mathematical computer tools from both a teacher and a student, argue in favour of using software instead of traditional paper-and-board style. The special course of the study of mathematics software (main tasks of the course are disclosed; knowledge and skills that students should possess on completion of their studies are dedicated; content of computer workshop is detailed) is briefly described. Also the authors give a detailed solution and its methodic basis of typical problem with the use of the SCM Maple. The typical errors which made by… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: For American Indian students, math anxiety and math avoidance are the most serious obstacles to general education and to the choice of scientific careers. Indian students interviewed generally exhibited fear and loathing of mathematics and a major lack of basic skills which were caused by a missing or negative impression of the mathematics capabilities of Native Americans, a generally negative image of mathematicians and scientists, dislike and fear of math forms without visible application to daily life and which require abstraction as a major tool, a perception of math courses and requirements as rigid, and a self-perception, often fostered by school couselors, of hopeless inadequacy in math skills. Because most of the students interviewed had attended public schools the implication is that public school math and science… Continue Reading →
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eric.ed.gov har udgivet: The study examined whether 7th-graders’ knowledge of rational numbers improved when the students’ math teachers participated in related professional development activities. The study analyzed data on about 4,500 students and 200 teachers from approximately 80 schools in 12 districts during the 2007-08 academic year. The study found that students in schools where teachers were offered extensive professional development by the study performed no better on a test of math achievement in rational numbers than students in comparison schools at the end of the 2007-08 academic year. However, the study found a significant positive impact of the professional development on one of the three measures of teacher instructional practices examined. Teachers who were offered the study’s extensive professional development engaged in 1.03 more activities per hour that elicited… Continue Reading →
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