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tandfonline.com – To integrate a language focus in a linguistically diverse physics classroom

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: Abstract Abstract It has previously been suggested that there is a need for a more language focused science instruction, especially in linguistically diverse classrooms, where many students are second language learners. But it has also been suggested that teachers may feel uncertainty about how to teach in ways that promote learning of both subject matter and language. Previous studies have revealed how the language of science, especially the written language of science, is used to create a certain meaning. Research on interventions shows how this knowledge, through a functional metalanguage, can be used successfully. However, few studies explore how teachers in science instruction themselves integrate a language focus in their linguistically diverse classrooms. This ethnographic case study investigates how a… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – Finding and using students’ funds of knowledge and identity in superdiverse primary schools: a collaborative action research project

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Sociocultural diversity in classrooms can result in inequality, when discontinuities between school and home make children perform below their abilities. Funds of knowledge/identity theory makes a plea for building on the skills and knowledge that students acquire in their families, communities and peer groups, and that may not be recognised by teachers, when they are from different sociocultural backgrounds to their students. In a collaborative action research project the authors investigated how primary school teachers can use students’ funds of knowledge/identity (FoK/I) in their superdiverse classrooms. Data were collected through pre-structured logbooks, teacher interviews and focus groups. The analyses result in a framework that suggests ways to find students’ FoK, and that categorises FoK/I-related teaching practices along two… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – Young children’s questions about science topics when situated in a natural outdoor environment: a qualitative study from kindergarten and primary school

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Asking questions is an important way of acquiring information and knowledge and plays a significant role in a child’s learning processes. In this study, we examine what characterises the questions asked by children to their teachers in two kindergartens (4–6-year-olds) and six primary school classes (2nd–4th grade) when situated in a natural outdoor environment. Recordings are undertaken by means of action cameras and audio recorders. We also examine the contexts in which the questions are asked. We found that whereas the preschool children’s science topic questions mostly concerned subject matter (74–95%), the schoolchildren more often asked practical questions. Our findings indicate that providing the children with activities that open for the children’s own explorations of a variety of… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – The relative effect of pupil absenteeism on literacy and numeracy in the primary school

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT A literature search identified only 12 articles which had examined the relative effect of either attendance or absence on primary/elementary school children’s literacy and numeracy. However, with respect to the relative effect of both attendance and absence, no consistent picture emerged from the articles. Furthermore, for each of the articles, the conclusion about the relative effect was based on visual inspection of the relevant statistic. The second problem was overcome in the study presented in this article by using the British Ability Scales Word Reading and Basic Arithmetic scales to assess the literacy and numeracy of eleven-year-old Poor and Better Attenders. Significantly more of the former than the latter were found to have an arithmetic score significantly below… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – The school–university intersection as a professional learning arena: evaluation of a two-year action research project

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT This article presents the evaluation of a two-year action research project in biology and mathematics teaching involving a primary school and a university in Sweden. The aim of the study was to contribute knowledge about a school–university intersection as a professional learning arena. The teachers’ conceptions about the project implementation, the impact on their learning, teaching practices and pupil learning were made explicit by focus group interview. The evaluation revealed that several motivating factors in this specific learning community – the relevance of the project and connection to the continuing education course, mentors from university, planning tools and time for collaboration – were critical for project implementation and for professional learning to occur. Furthermore, it indicated how teacher… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – “You must learn something during a lesson”: how primary students construct meaning from teacher feedback

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Teacher feedback can be described as a complex interactional pattern between teacher and student. Formative outcomes of assessment are considered to be enhanced when students understand aims and criteria. In order to better understand the processes of teacher feedback and to improve teaching and classroom assessment, there is a need for research on students’ perspectives on feedback. The present study aims to conceptualise how primary-school students construct meaning from teacher feedback. The study was based on focus group interviews with 23 students in grades 2 and 3 (7–9 years old). Constructivist grounded theory was used throughout the study. According to the findings, primary-school students conceptualise teacher feedback as communicating a lot of “musts”, centred on learning, involving what the… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – A combined approach to strengthen children’s scientific thinking: direct instruction on scientific reasoning and training of teacher’s verbal support

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: ABSTRACT ABSTRACT Inquiry-based lessons have been demonstrated to improve children’s scientific thinking (i.e. reasoning abilities and domain-specific knowledge). Although empirical evidence shows that inquiry-based learning requires instruction, research comes from two approaches that have not been bridged yet: direct instruction of scientific reasoning and teacher training of verbal support. We investigated how these two types of instruction separately or combined strengthened children’s scientific thinking by comparing four conditions: baseline, direct instruction, verbal support, and a combined approach. Effectiveness of an inquiry-based lesson series on scientific reasoning abilities, vocabulary, and domain-specific knowledge (near and far transfer) were studied among 301 fourth graders. Results showed that both approaches strengthened different components of scientific reasoning abilities, and that a combination of instructions was… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – Making primary school science education more practical through appropriate interactive instructional resources: A case study of Ghana

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: Abstract Abstract This instructional resource production project explored low cost and waste materials for developing practical and interactive resources for teaching science at the basic school level. Developing countries, including Ghana, are not able to provide teachers with instructional resources for teaching and learning due to financial constraints. Science in particular is a subject that pupils and students in Ghana generally do not perform well both at the basic and senior high levels which is evident from the end of level examinations over the years. The study used exploratory and descriptive approaches under qualitative research. Convenience sampling was used to select low cost and waste materials to work with, and observation was used to collect data from the production process.… Continue Reading

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tandfonline.com – A qualitative study of primary teachers’ classroom feedback rationales

tandfonline.com har udgivet en rapport under søgningen “Teacher Education Mathematics”: Abstract Abstract Background As part of teachers’ everyday classroom assessment practice, feedback can be seen as connected to the formative function of assessment, with the aim of helping students in their learning processes. Much research on teacher feedback focuses precisely on the feedback’s formative quality. However, in order to strengthen our understanding about the nature of teacher feedback, we also need to understand more about teachers’ rationales for giving feedback to their students, especially in primary school settings. Purpose The present study aimed to explore and conceptualise primary school teachers’ rationales for giving students feedback. Sample Thirteen Swedish primary school teachers ( 10 women and 3 men) with 4 to 40 years of teaching experience working with students aged 7–9 years-old… Continue Reading