Examining the use of multiple writing and discourse tasks in 5th grade mathematics

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine how fifth grade students were impacted by the infusion of multiple writing tasks in mathematics. In this study, writing tasks provided opportunities for students to communicate prior knowledge, share ideas to construct and justify arguments, for reflection, and assessment. In this deductive qualitative study, students’ work samples were analyzed. Findings indicated that students grew in their understanding of mathematics and ability to self-reflect and self-evaluate through multiple opportunities to write for a variety of purposes. The opportunities for constructing mathematical understanding with activities that included writing and discourse also fostered learning between peers. The findings suggest a variety of opportunities to write and engage in mathematics discourse encouraged reflection, evaluation, and learning. Implications for future research include the need to examine the impact of these activities on students’ mathematics understanding as measured by assessments or an analysis of student work samples.     

CREATING OPTIMAL MATHEMATICS LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: COMBINING ARGUMENTATION AND WRITING TO ENHANCE ACHIEVEMENT

The issue of mathematics underachievement among students has been an increasing international concern over the last few decades. Research suggests that academic success can be achieved by focusing on both the individual and social aspects of learning. Within the area of mathematics education, the development of metacognitive skills and the incorporation of discourse in classroom instruction has resulted in students having deeper conceptual understandings of the content and increased mathematical achievement. However, studies in this field tend to focus on the effects of these practices separately, making research that seeks to harness the potential of both quite rare. This paper reports on a study that was aimed at addressing this gap in the literature by examining the effects of writing and argumentation on achievement. Two hundred and eleven students and five teachers participated in this multimethod study that investigated the effects of three treatment conditions on mathematical achievement. These conditions were writing alone, argumentation alone, and writing and argumentation combined. Analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the groups, and tests of the contrasts showed that students who engaged in both argumentation and writing had greater knowledge gains than students who engaged in argumentation alone or neither activity.     

Student Perceptions of the Use of Writing in a Differential Equations Course

The use of writing to learn mathematics at the university-level is a pedagogical tool that has been gaining momentum. The setting of this study is a second-year differential equations class where written assignments have been incorporated into the course. By analyzing survey results and students' written work, we examine the extent to which students view writing as an effective learning strategy, as well as their beliefs about the relationship between mathematical writing and communication. We also discuss what students' narratives reveal about their past mathematical experiences.     

大学生学习风格与英语能力的相关性研究

学习风格作为个体差异的最重要变量之一在二语习得领域备受重视,但国内实证研究较少,且偏重个别层面。本研究采用Oxford的学习风格调查表(SAS)对4个班168名大学生的学习风格进行了调查;使用社会科学统计软件SPSS19对数据进行分析,了解学生英语各项能力和学习风格变量之间的相关性;并在实验班针对性地实施了为期16周的教学改革。本研究旨在提高教师和学生对英语学习过程中学习风格重要性的认识,分别采取多样化的学习策略和教学策略,激发学生的学习动机,实现最佳教学效果。     

初中生认知灵活性与学习风格的关系及其对学业成绩的影响

采用《认知灵活性问卷》和《所罗门学习风格自测问卷》对273名初中生进行调查,考察认知灵活性、学习风格对学业成绩的影响,结果表明：（1）认知灵活性与学习风格关系密切,认知灵活性高的学生偏爱直觉型、沉思型的学习风格;（2）认知灵活性与语文、数学及各学科总成绩均呈显著正相关,并对语文、数学及各学科总成绩均具有显著的正向预测作用;（3）学习风格各维度中,信息输入对数学及各学科总成绩具有显著的正向预测作用,信息感知对数学成绩具有显著的正向预测作用。     

Cognitive style and mathematics anxiety among high school students

The recent concern over declining mathematics achievement test scores has drawn attention to mathematics anxiety. One possible cause of the development of mathematics anxiety is cognitive learning style. The authors investigated the association of field dependent/independent cognitive style with mathematics anxiety. A three-way analysis of variance (cognitive style by achievement level by sex) was performed on math anxiety scores of 481 secondary students. Findings indicated that field dependent learners experienced more mathematics anxiety than did field independent learners. Interactions between sex and cognitive style and between achievement level and cognitive style also were significant. Implications for instruction and for future research are discussed.     

Investigating Forms of Children's Writing in Grade 7 Mathematics Classrooms

Recent changes in mathematics curricula, both in South Africa and elsewhere, have begun to change the overwhelmingly symbolic nature of mathematics in schools (in the sense of use of mathematical symbolism), promoting more use of the oral and written language. Engaging students in `Writing-to-Learn' activities in mathematics classrooms has been identified and claimed by various mathematics education researchers as having a positive impact on the learning of mathematics. In this paper, I report on a piece of research, which is part of a broader study, on forms of mathematical writing and written texts produced by learners in grade 7 (12–13-year-olds) classes in six junior high schools in KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa.     

课堂教学视野下的反思性数学学习

数学课程标准对学生的反思性数学学习给予了很高的关注,但当前数学课堂教学中学生反思性学习的现实状况却不容乐观。这主要表现为：教师的课堂权威挤占了学生进行自我反思的空间;学生在数学学习中的自我反思能力水平普遍偏低。通过分析课堂教学视野下反思性数学学习的具体内涵,可以发现数学课堂教学中学生进行反思性学习的重要意义主要在于发展学生的数学思维能力、促成个体化的数学学习方式和促进学生自主性的发展。     

培养数学语言能力 提高高职数学教学效果

高职学生数学基础较差,校内学习时间较短,为满足学生在校期间对数学知识“够用”、“会用”的需要及其进入社会后对数学知识需求的终身学习,以培养学生数学语言能力为切入点,从熟悉、规范书写、正确表达数学语言做起,到学会自我控制数学学习过程,可以激发学生学习数学的兴趣,提高数学教学效果。     

黎族学生数学学习风格及影响其数学成绩因素调查研究

海南省琼南地区是黎族聚居的民族地区,黎族学生的数学学习困难是多年来困扰黎族数学教师的难题,黎族学生数学学习有其不同于汉族学生的特点,因传统文化、语言、心理特点等各种因素的综合影响,对于黎族学生的数学教学要采用符合其数学学习心理、民族文化特点、语言特点的数学教学方式。     

Exploring factors that improve mathematics achievement in Brunei

The low pass rate in Brunei Year 13 mathematics is a source of concern for many stakeholders. Success in mathematics is required for students wishing to attend university and pursue courses in the sciences and technology. Many different factors contribute to success and failure in mathematics. This field survey (N = 330 randomly selected Year 13 students representing 179 females and 151 males) determined the extent to which coping mechanisms, study strategies, learning styles, and self-efficacy were related to academic achievement in mathematics. Stepwise multiple regression analysis with backward elimination identified six statistically significant main effect variables with links to mathematics achievement (task-oriented coping, textbook reading, concentration, self-efficacy, time management, and activist learning style). Two-way interactions of the male and female genders with deep processing and reflector learning styles were also significantly associated with mathematics achievement. Other significant interaction variables were beneficial to both genders.     

基于虚拟全景的学习方式促进学习动机与写作成绩的实证研究

虚拟现实(Virtual Reality)技术在学习领域的融合将成为未来教育发展的新趋势。以写作学习为研究主题,在分析小学阶段写作学习存在的诸多现实问题基础上,认为利用虚拟现实技术构筑全景式学习场景并应用到写作学习过程中,能够促进学生学习动机与写作成绩的提升。由此,进一步开展了实证性分析,通过创设以《长城》为写作主题的虚拟全景式学习方式,研究某小学三年级学生的学习动机与写作成绩是否会因学习方式改变而得到一定提升。研究利用独立样本t检验法与单因素方差分析法对实验组与对照组开展写作学习活动的实验数据进行了处理与分析。结果表明:基于虚拟全景的学习方式能够促进写作整体成绩的提高,但是学习动机并不因虚拟环境的介入有所提升;写作成绩在四个维度(主题契合度、结构完整性、语言表达力、思维创新性)的表现上,思维创新性维度上的成绩提升力度相对较低,这需要在分析其原因的基础上,进一步采取措施提升学生创意性写作能力。     

非洲文化中的数学与数学课程发展的文化多样性

对于数学课程的研究已经从仅关注学校与书本里的数学转向不同社会文化背景下丰富的日常生活场景。以非洲为例,就可以在日常生活中找到许多与数学课程密切相关的重要内容,因而注重"日常数学"与学校数学课程的关联,考虑数学课程的文化相关性显得意义重大。而若要在数学课程发展中很好地体现文化多样性,则需要作如下思考:理解民族和文化的数学传统与整体经验;充分利用不同文化中的资源;反映学生的学习文化与风格;处理好多样性与统一性;同时能在评价中反映学生的文化体验。     

新课程理念下初中生数学学习情况的调查与分析

当前初中生数学学习方式不符合素质教育的特征。为此，在实施数学新教材的过程中要注意：教师必须摒弃旧的观念和旧的教学方式；教师的培训工作必须立足于实验教材；学生学习数学必须步入社会；社会看待学生学习效果的观念和方法应改变。     

A microworld-based role-playing game development approach to engaging students in interactive,enjoyable, and effective mathematics learning

In traditional teacher-centered mathematics instruction, students might show low learning motivation owing to the lack of applied contexts. Game-based learning has been recognized as a potential approach to addressing this issue; however, without proper alignment between the gaming and math-applied contexts, the benefits of game-based learning could be limited. Therefore, this study aims to develop a microworld-based educational game, which provides simulated contexts encouraging students to explore, discover, and solve practical problems using the mathematics knowledge gained in the class. A quasi-experimental design was implemented in the learning activity of the “Speedy World” unit in an elementary school mathematics course to examine the effectiveness of the proposed approach. A total of 107 sixth graders participated in the experiment. The experimental results showed that the students who learned with the microworld-based gaming approach had better learning achievement and motivation in the mathematics course than those who learned with the conventional technology-enhanced learning approach. In addition, the students also showed that they highly accepted the microworld-based game for learning mathematics. The findings of this study provide good evidence for the importance and necessity of associating authentic applied contexts with gaming contexts in developing computer educational games for mathematics.     

Examining fourth-grade mathematics writing: features of organization,mathematics vocabulary,and mathematical representations

Increasingly, students are expected to write about mathematics. Mathematics writing may be informal (e.g., journals, exit slips) or formal (e.g., writing prompts on high-stakes mathematics assessments). In order to develop an effective mathematics-writing intervention, research needs to be conducted on how students organize mathematics writing and use writing features to convey mathematics knowledge. We collected mathematics-writing samples from 155 4th-grade students in 2 states. Each student wrote about a computation word problem and fraction representations. We compared mathematics-writing samples to a norm-referenced measure of essay writing to examine similarities in how students use writing features such as introductions, conclusions, paragraphs, and transition words. We also analyzed the mathematics vocabulary terms that students incorporated within their writing and whether mathematics computation skills were related to the mathematics vocabulary students used in writing. Finally, we coded and described how students used mathematics representations in their writing. Findings indicate that students use organizational features of writing differently across the norm-referenced measure of essay writing and their mathematics writing. Students also use mathematics vocabulary and representations with different levels of success. Implications for assessment, practice, and intervention development are discussed.     

Engaging Primary School Students in Mathematics: Can iPads Make a Difference?

Research on the impact of the integration of technologies such as iPads on primary students’ attitudes and engagement in mathematics is limited. Further, there have been claims that teachers’ pedagogical choices can strongly influence the effectiveness of iPads for engaging students in mathematics. This paper presents an investigation of the influence of teaching and learning mathematics with iPads on students’ attitudes and engagement in mathematics. The participants in this study were students in a large urban primary school, implementing an iPad program for teaching and learning across the curriculum. Surveys with five-point Likert-type items were used to measure students’ attitudes to mathematics. Students from Years 2 to 6 completed the survey at the beginning and end of two consecutive school years. Survey results suggested that iPad use in mathematics has the potential to impact positively on students’ attitudes to mathematics. At the end of the second year of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers and students. The interview responses confirmed that iPads had a positive influence on students’ engagement and attitudes to mathematics, and that the pedagogical approaches utilised by teachers for embedding iPads in their mathematics lessons contributed positively to these outcomes.     

Reflecting on the Use of Writing to Promote Mathematical Learning: An Examination of Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives

We examine preservice mathematics teachers' conceptions of writing as a tool for learning mathematics before and after participation in and reflection on writing tasks. We describe the use of two targeted activities incorporated into a secondary methods course: writing to learn mathematics (WTLM) and reflection on that writing. Prior to participation in these activities, the preservice teachers expressed reluctance toward the use of writing in mathematics and uncertainty as to how writing could be useful in mathematics, while accepting that some possible benefits might exist for students' procedural learning. Following participation in these activities, the preservice teachers expressed a willingness to accept writing as a useful tool for supporting an expanded view of teaching and learning mathematics. Specifically, the preservice teachers considered writing as a way to build connections between mathematics and other subjects, a means to assess student understanding of mathematics, and a beneficial support for student conceptual learning.     

Systemizing and the gender gap: examining academic achievement and perseverance in STEM

For years, a popular explanation for women choosing to abandon studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been their lack of aptitude. This study challenged that notion by integrating theories of cognitive style, academic emotion, self-efficacy, and motivation to explain students’ academic achievement and perseverance in STEM when transitioning to college. A sample of 1597 high school and junior college students participated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were first conducted to validate a reduced version of the cognitive style questionnaire. Structural equation modeling revealed that the cognitive style known as systemizing indirectly predicted STEM achievement and persistence by way of intrinsic motivation, learning anxiety, and self-efficacy, providing a new perspective for re-examining the gender gap in STEM.