Supporting mathematics vocabulary instruction through mathematics curricula

Abstract

This study examines four of the most commonly-used core mathematics curricula in the USA for evidence of support for research-based instructional strategies for mathematics vocabulary in first and second grade. Content analyses of the teachers’ editions of two units for each grade level were analyzed per curriculum (n?=?16). Statistically significant differences among curricula were found for number of target words (range 6–51 per unit), level of difficulty of terms (basic to technical), and number of support strategies per word. Multiple means of representation varied in terms of verbal and non-verbal strategies for target terms. These differences indicate children are experiencing substantially different mathematics vocabulary learning opportunities, which may impact later mathematics achievement. Implications for practice, curriculum development, and future research are addressed.     

应用写作的模拟教学刍议

对于在校学生而言,“模拟教学”是提高应用文写作水平的一种实际、有效的方法。所谓模拟教学是指模仿社会工作、生活中的某种情景或过程,然后要求学生运用所学过的知识去分析和解决其中的问题,并写成相应的文章。这种教学方法是由学生本身的主客观条件所决定的。...     

Effects of metacognitive instruction on mathematics achievement and attitude towards mathematics of low mathematics achievers

An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of metacognitive instruction on mathematics achievement and attitude towards mathematics of low mathematics achievers at a middle school in the North‐West Province of South Africa. Forty standard (std) 7 pupils were identified whose non‐verbal general ability and previous mathematics achievements were significantly lower than those of other std 7 pupils. These subjects were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group. Metacognitive strategies in solving mathematical problems related to four mathematics topics were individually taught to the members of the experimental group, while the pupils in the control group were taught the four mathematics topics through the conventional method of teaching mathematics. The comparisons of pretest and posttest measures of general ability, metacognitive awareness, attitude towards mathematics, and mathematics achievement revealed that the posttest scores of all the four variables for the experimental group were significantly higher than those for the control group.     

The need for effective writing instruction

Many students with writing difficulties have negligible editing skills at best. Existing research supports that a strategy approach to teaching writing conventions to students with learning disabilities is effective, particularly when the strategies involve mnemonics. Recognizing that classroom teachers are increasingly overburdened, our study offers an alternative setting for academic intervention – the after-school program – and focuses on an intervention utilizing a mnemonic designed to increase the efficacy of the time spent on editing in the writing process. This study investigates the impact of two instructional conditions on participants' editing skills: (1) the effects of direct instruction regarding writing conventions to a combination of direct instruction and (2) a mnemonic writing strategy from Step up to writing. Both approaches produced significant gains (p < .05). However, the combined approach exhibited a larger effect size of d = .77-.84 at post-test, as measured by TOWL-3 Contrived Composite scores.     

现代数学教学观念的特点与发展趋势

教学观念的转变是实施素质教育的重要前提。教学目的观经历了由传统向现代转变的三个发展阶段。论述现代数学教学观念的特点、主要表现以及现代数学教学观的发展趋势。     

Understanding and procedural knowledge in mathematics instruction 1

Using ideas developed recently in the theory of understanding language, an analysis is given of the process of understanding mathematical concepts. An analysis also is given of procedural knowledge in mathematics, based on recently developed theories of problem solving including production systems and automaton models. A suggestion is made as to how these theories might be synthesized to provide an analysis of performance of mathematical skills with understanding. Two examples of such performance are described, in the form of theories that are realized as computer programs, and there is discussion of ways in which these theories succeed and fail in representing procedural knowledge with understanding.     

Student performance and attitudes using personalized mathematics instruction

This study investigated the effects of personalized instruction on the achievement and attitudes of Taiwanese students on two-step mathematics word problems. A total of 136 fourth-graders in a Taiwanese public school participated in the study. Subjects initially completed a Student Survey on which they chose their favorite foods, sports, stores, classmates, and other selections. The most popular items were then used to create personalized math word problems for the pretest, personalized instructional program, and posttest. Subjects were blocked by ability based on their pretest scores and were randomly assigned within ability levels to either a personalized or nonpersonalized version of the print-based instructional program. After finishing the program, subjects completed a student attitude survey and the posttest. A repeated-measures univariate analysis of variance revealed that subjects in the personalized treatment made significantly greater pretest-to-posttest gains than those in the nonpersonalized treatment. Subjects also performed significantly better on the personalized pretest and posttest problems than on the nonpersonalized problems. Personalized subjects and higher-ability students both had significantly more positive attitudes toward the instructional program than did their nonpersonalized and lower-ability counterparts. This research was conducted while he was a doctoral student at Arizona State University.     

浅论高中作文教学

随着社会的发展,作文教学面临着巨大的时代挑战。本文主要探讨新形势下高中作文教学存在的问题,并提出了相应的解决策略。     

Prospective elementary teachers' comprehension of mathematics instruction

This article reports on a study that investigated prospective elementary teachers' knowledge and convictions regarding content, pedagogy, and pupil needs as well as on their rationales for the teaching of mathematics. Data collected through journals is qualitatively analysed and interpreted to understand common views on ‘ideal’ mathematics classes. The findings are used as a basis for a broader sociological discussion of the school's role in a changing environment. Participants in this study tend to value mathematics classes mainly in terms of the degree of pupil enjoyment. Consequently, they comprehend the teacher's role as beyond instruction: the teacher as an entertainer. This is discussed by confronting the two conceptions of school as a locus for serious learning, and of school as a ‘playhouse’. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Building models of adult second-language writing instruction

This paper first reviews recent attempts to describe formal models of second-language writing; we then identify three major issues in need of clarification to advance model-building in this domain. We discuss these issues in respect to findings from a preliminary attempt to develop a process-product model of ESL writing instruction based on analyses of antecedent, process and outcome variables for 108 ESL learners from diverse cultural backgrounds in 6-week intensive courses at a Canadian university. Findings from multivariate, regression, correlation and exploratory factor analyses indicated that the tentative model had little explanatory power overall but pointed toward interesting interactions in achievement for (a) different aspects of L2 writing among (b) learners at different levels of L2 proficiency and with (c) differing orientations to learning L2 writing.     

教学行动研究在英语写作教学中的运用

在自我反思的教学模式下发展起来的教学行动研究(Educational Action Research)是近年来国外发展起来的一种教学理论研究方法。它既是师资教育的有效方法之一,又是在职教师自我完善的捷径。本文主要对教育行动研究的概念、特征及模式作了简要论述,并通过作者在写作教学中所做的教学行动研究的描述和分析,反思教学行动研究在实践中的效果,探讨了这种研究方法在英语写作教学中的实践意义。     

Classroom instructional quality,exposure to mathematics instruction and mathematics achievement in fifth grade

This study examined the quality of teacher–child interactions and exposure to mathematics instruction as predictors of 5th grade student’s mathematics achievement. The sample was a subset of the children involved in the NICHD–SECC longitudinal study (N = 657). Results indicate that, even after controlling for student demographic characteristics, more exposure to mathematics instruction was related to increased fifth grade mathematics achievement for both calculations and applied problems assessments, but there was no main effect for improved instructional quality. Findings also indicate that, in classrooms where lower instructional quality was observed, greater exposure to mathematics instruction predicted improved mathematics achievement. Findings are discussed in terms of differing aspects of mathematics instruction and the possible compensatory role of exposure to instruction in classrooms of lower quality.     

基于体验英语写作教学资源的大学英语作文评改

本文介绍了基于体验英语写作教学资源平台的多元评分软件易格（e-scorer）。易格通过“初始评分”、“结构评分”、“主题评分”、“综合评分”四个层级的评判,协助大学英语教师完成海量作文的半自动化评阅工作,实验结果表明易格评分结果和人工评分结果呈高相关,评分信度较高。     

Argumentative writing: theory,assessment, and instruction

Reading and Writing - Despite the early emergence of oral argumentation, written argumentation is slow to develop, insensitive to alternative perspectives, and generally of poor quality. These...     

Learning from instruction: the case of mathematics

Starting from a brief analysis of adaptive competence in mathematics, this article describes a series of research-based characteristics of the kind of learning processes that should be elicited in students to facilitate and support in them the progressive acquisition of such competence. Four major characteristics are discussed in some detail: learning is constructive, self-regulated, situated or contextual, and collaborative. A rather new approach to transfer of learning is then presented in which transfer is conceived as the preparation for future learning. Throughout the article it is argued that, notwithstanding the progress made in research on learning from instruction, numerous and complex issues and problems remain for continued inquiry.     

略谈数学教学中创新意识的培养

培养学生具有“创新意识”是中学数学教学的重要目标和一条重要原则。这里的“创新意识”不同于“创新能力”；这里的“创新”也不同于数学研究中的“创新”。它的基本含义是，使学生具有举一反三的能力，穷本溯源的精神和敢于探索的勇气。培养学生的数学创新意识，对教师的教育思想和教学方法提出了新的挑战，文章对此提出了一些有益的建议。     

Exploring the amount and type of writing instruction during language arts instruction in kindergarten classrooms

The objective of this exploratory investigation was to examine the nature of writing instruction in kindergarten classrooms and to describe student writing outcomes at the end of the school year. Participants for this study included 21 teachers and 238 kindergarten children from nine schools. Classroom teachers were videotaped once each in the fall and winter during the 90 min instructional block for reading and language arts to examine time allocation and the types of writing instructional practices taking place in the kindergarten classrooms. Classroom observation of writing was divided into student-practice variables (activities in which students were observed practicing writing or writing independently) and teacher-instruction variables (activities in which the teacher was observed providing direct writing instruction). In addition, participants completed handwriting fluency, spelling, and writing tasks. Large variability was observed in the amount of writing instruction occurring in the classroom, the amount of time kindergarten teachers spent on writing and in the amount of time students spent writing. Marked variability was also observed in classroom practices both within and across schools and this fact was reflected in the large variability noted in kindergartners’ writing performance.     

Strategy instruction in writing for adult literacy learners

This study investigated the effectiveness of cognitive strategy instruction in writing with adult literacy learners. Three middle-aged African-American adults participating in adult education with the goal of passing the GED received tutoring in a strategy for planning, writing, and revising persuasive essays along with self-regulation strategies. The study used a multiple-baseline design across participants with multiple probes. All the adults made consistent gains from baseline to posttest in the quality and organization of their essays. Mean gains in overall quality from baseline to posttest for the three students were 2.7, 1.9, and 1.7 on a 7-point scale. Percentage of non-overlapping data (PND) was 100% for text structure organization and 89% for quality. The results demonstrate that strategy instruction, which has had positive effects with school-age students, has potential for adult literacy learners as well.