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Eric.ed.gov – Mathematics: Essential Research, Essential Practice. Volumes 1 and 2. Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This is a record of the proceedings of the 30th annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA). The theme of the conference is “Mathematics: Essential research, essential practice.” The theme draws attention to the importance of developing and maintaining links between research and practice and ties in with the joint day of presentations with the 21st biennial conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT). This special feature highlights the benefits of collaboration between researchers, practicing classroom teachers, and curriculum developers. Volume 1 contains the following papers: (1) The Beginnings of MERGA (Ken Clements); (2) Teaching and Learning by Example: The Annual Clements/Foyster Lecture (Helen L. Chick); (3) Introducing Students to Data Representation and Statistics (Richard Lehrer); (4) Studies in the Zone… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Fifth Year Teacher: From Mentored to Mentoring!

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This study examined a fifth year teacher, who had participated in an original project assessing the effectiveness of metaphor within collaborative reflection to help prospective teachers define, explain, and challenge their beliefs about learning and teaching science. Results found that using metaphor as a tool for reflection helped the teacher articulate beliefs and put them into practice during student teaching. The study investigated, after 5 years, the extent to which he continued using an inquiry stance, metaphor remained part of his personal reflection, and other changes impacted his learning to teach. Results indicated that he had found a reflection tool in metaphor, and the inquiry stance to go with it, to help him systematically study classroom problems and possibilities. He continued collaborative reflection within learning communities of… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Teaching Effectiveness and the Conditions that Matter Most in High-Needs Schools: A Policy Brief

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Over the last decade, policy and business leaders have come to know what parents have always known: teachers make the greatest difference to student achievement. With new statistical and analytical methods used by a wide range of researchers, evidence has been mounting that teacher quality can account for a large share of variance in student test scores. The evidence on the distribution of qualified and effective teachers is also clear–and the findings are not good. Teachers who have met the demanding standards of National Board Certification and those who have generated higher “value-added” student achievement gains are far less likely to teach economically disadvantaged and minority students. As a result, high-poverty schools are more likely to be beset with teaching vacancies in math and special education, and… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Gifted Females Can Be Supported in Math and Science: A Proposal for Mentoring in Secondary Schools.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper addresses the personological aspects relative to male and female success in two subject areas (math and science) and addresses specific concerns in the area of mentoring. Personality factors operative for success in math and science are reviewed, and teachers are advised to encourage, support, and facilitate those personality traits which appear to augur for success. One particular technique for encouraging females to pursue their interests is mentoring. The need of the mentor to nurture, encourage, and develop certain salient personality traits is emphasized. Reasons why bright individuals (both females and males) do not succeed are listed, such as lack of product orientation and capitalizing on the wrong abilities. Guidelines are presented for mentoring creatively gifted youth. Mentors are urged to guide their female protegees to… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Closing the Gap: An Overview of the Literature on College Persistence and Underrepresented Populations

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Access to and persistence through higher education can significantly impact occupational stability and mental wellness in the United States (U.S.), with higher levels of education contributing to increased employability and wellness. Empirical research suggests that college attendance improves verbal communication, moral reasoning, and critical thinking skills (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) and has been linked to lower unemployment rates, greater job satisfaction, lower reliance on public assistance programs, lower rates of obesity, and other health and wellness outcomes (Baum, Ma, & Payea, 2013). Furthermore, attaining a college degree is a key factor in improving one’s earnings and long-term financial stability. For example, recent research found that among full-time employed young adults between the ages of 25 and 34, those with a bachelor’s degree earned more, on average, than… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – You Asked Open-Ended Questions, Now What? Understanding the Nature of Stumbling Blocks in Teaching Inquiry Lessons

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Undergraduate preservice teachers face many challenges implementing inquiry pedagogy in mathematics lessons. This study provides a step-by-step case analysis of an undergraduate preservice teacher’s actions and responses while teaching an inquiry lesson during a summer math camp for grade 3-6 students conducted at a university. Stumbling blocks that hindered achievement of the overall goals of the inquiry lesson emerged when the preservice teacher asked open-ended questions and learners gave diverse, unexpected responses. Because no prior thought was given to possible student answers, the preservice teacher was not equipped to give pedagogically meaningful responses to her students. Often, the preservice teacher simply ignored the unanticipated responses, impeding the students’ meaning-making attempts. Based on emergent stumbling blocks observed, this study recommends that teacher educators focus novice teacher preparation in… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Strengthening Partnerships: How Communication and Collaboration Contribute to School Improvement

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: For most of the past decade, this author has studied union-management efforts to improve public education, and has witnessed extraordinary examples of teachers, union leaders, and administrators working together to improve teaching and learning. In this article, seven case studies on collaborative partnerships between teachers’ unions and administrators from districts located across the country and a mix of urban, rural, large and small schools are analyzed. He identifies themes and patterns common to all these districts: (1) Motivation for initiating collaboration; (2) Strategic priorities for improvement; (3) Supportive system infrastructures; and (4) Sustaining characteristics. Rubenstein then reports on the partnership attitude and climate survey data from the California Academic Performance Index (API), and social network analysis. The API includes standardized test results in math, English, social studies,… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Integrated Science and Math for Junior High Teacher Preparation: Staff Development as a Continual Process.

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: This paper presents a project description of efforts to improve preservice teacher education programs. The project focuses on two aspects. The first aspect probes Auburn Junior High School eighth-grade students and Auburn University preservice teachers, while the second probes Auburn Junior High School faculty and Auburn University faculty. The necessity of starting professional development before certification as a teacher is advocated. Two interdependent timelines of the project are provided. (YDS) Link til kilde

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Eric.ed.gov – Oregon MESA: Improving Grades in Science and Mathematics

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Oregon Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) focuses its afterschool programs with middle and high school students on inventions that address key problems in developing countries, such as sustainable lighting, water transportation, water filtration, and prosthetics. With the support of a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation, MESA expanded its afterschool program to four Salem-Keizer Public Schools middle schools in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 school years. The goal of this expansion was to help underrepresented minority and low income students achieve scholastic success, leadership skills, and social support for college enrollment through (1) afterschool STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs led by teachers from the school served; (2) science and technology competitions; (3) family involvement and advocacy; and (4) mentorship by local college students. At the request… Continue Reading

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Eric.ed.gov – Teacher Labor Markets in Developed Countries

eric.ed.gov har udgivet: Helen Ladd takes a comparative look at policies that the world’s industrialized countries are using to assure a supply of high-quality teachers. Her survey puts U.S. educational policies and practices into international perspective. Ladd begins by examining teacher salaries–an obvious, but costly, policy tool. She finds, perhaps surprisingly, that students in countries with high teacher salaries do not in general perform better on international tests than those in countries with lower salaries. Ladd does find, however, that the share of underqualified teachers in a country is closely related to salary. In high-salary countries like Germany, Japan, and Korea, for example, only 4 percent of teachers are underqualified, as against more than 10 percent in the United States, where teacher salaries, Ladd notes, are low relative to those… Continue Reading