The ��M�� in SMEC: a short history of the mathematics education presence

In this paper I examine the history of the integration of mathematics education into the Science Education Centre, which had been established by physicist, John de Laeter, within the School of Science and Engineering at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. De Laeter’s vision for science education was that teachers should have access to professional education that allowed them to extend their discipline and pedagogical knowledge using strategies that brought together theory and practice in ways that were meaningful for teachers. This model was expanded when mathematics education was also included, paving the way also for technology education. I present the history of this integration laying out the themes that are important for the continued educational effectiveness of the Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC) and the role that mathematics education has played in this process. As the title suggests, this article focuses on the activities of the group of mathematics educators who have worked within the Science and Mathematics Education Centre of Curtin University since it was established 30 or so years ago and who have contributed to its reputation. The two streams operated then and now more-or-less independently in matters of student thesis topic choice but offered students opportunities for interaction that might not have been available if the “M” had not been incorporated into the Science Education Centre (SEC). This article’s focus is on the mathematics educators who contributed to the Centre’s success and reputation, highlighting the synergistic relationship between mathematics and science that helped to make SMEC a leading center for mathematics and science education.     

Analyzing the use of history in mathematics education: issues and challenges around Balacheff’s cKȼ model

Part of the international reflection on the use of history in mathematics teaching consists in a quest of frameworks and models suitable for empirical studies. Following this demand, this paper explores the way Balacheff’s cK? model, a model taken from the didactics of mathematics, can be used in the analysis of learning at student level. In the first part of this paper, Balacheff’s cK? model (conceptions, knowledge, ?oncepts) is shortly presented, and in the second part, the relationship between the epistemological background of the model and the use of the history of mathematics is explored in order to show a possible suitableness. The third part addresses an example of a school activity (about ancient Indian geometry) in which the model is applied and the historical issues clarified. Questioning the role of problems both in the cK? model and in the use of history, the last part shows how a study at the students’ conception level enlightens the way in which historical elements can interact with contemporary mathematical learning.     

Using the history of mathematics to induce changes in preservice teachers’ beliefs and attitudes: insights from evaluating a teacher education program

Scholars and teacher educators alike agree that teachers’ beliefs and attitudes toward mathematics are key informants of teachers’ instructional approaches. Therefore, it has become clear that, in addition to enriching preservice teachers’ (PSTs) knowledge, teacher education programs should also create opportunities for prospective teachers to develop productive beliefs and attitudes toward teaching and learning mathematics. This study explored the effectiveness of a mathematics preparatory program based on the history of mathematics that aimed at enhancing PSTs’ epistemological and efficacy beliefs and their attitudes toward mathematics. Using data from a questionnaire administered four times, the study traced the development of 94 PSTs’ beliefs and attitudes over a period of 2 years. The analysis of these data showed changes in certain dimensions of the PSTs’ beliefs and attitudes; however, other dimensions were found to change in the opposite direction to that expected. Differences were also found in the development of the PSTs’ beliefs and attitudes according to their mathematical background. The data yielded from semi-structured follow-up interviews conducted with a convenience sample of PSTs largely corroborated the quantitative data and helped explain some of these changes. We discuss the effectiveness of the program considered herein and draw implications for the design of teacher education programs grounded in the history of mathematics.

Learning through culture: seeking “critical case studies of possibilities” in the history of education

Abstract

In Radical Education and the Common School (2011), Michael Field and Peter Moss argue for a radical alternative to the failed and dysfunctional contemporary discourse about education and the school with its focus on markets, competition, instrumentality, standardisation, and managerialism. They argue that it is necessary, if we are to progress “social alternatives” in education, to construct micro-histories of schools that have developed as “real utopias” through radically revising their practice. They call these micro-histories “critical case studies of possibilities”. In To Hell with Culture (1963), the art educator and anarchist Herbert Read returned to a theme he had been exploring since the early 1930s – the purpose of education. For him, “education” implied many things, but he saw modern practice as “socially disintegrating”. Instead, Read offered an alternative to the dominant discourse about education under capitalism in the 1960s which would create “that collective consciousness which is the spiritual energy of a people and the only source of its art and culture”. To what extent was Read’s conception of education an ideal, a dream unfulfilled? Following Fielding and Moss this paper will seek to trace “critical case studies of possibilities” drawn from the past which reflect the fundamental connection identified by Read between school learning, “collective consciousness”, art, and culture.     

Chinese upper elementary school mathematics teachers�� attitudes towards the place and value of problematic word problems in mathematics education

Word problems play a crucial role in mathematics education. However, the authenticity of word problems is quite controversial. In terms of the necessity of realistic considerations to be taken into account in the solution process, word problems have been classified into two categories: standard word problems (S-items) and problematic word problems (P-items). S-items refer to those problems involving the straightforward application of one or more arithmetical operations with the given numbers, whereas P-items call for the use of real-world knowledge and real-life experience in the problem-solving process. This study aims to explore how Chinese upper elementary school mathematics teachers think of the place and value of P-items in the elementary mathematics curriculum.     

Activating learning in engineering education using ICT and the concept of ‘Flipping the classroom’

ABSTRACT

This case study trialled the introduction of a student-response system (Top Hat) in a third-year engineering Fluid Mechanics course (n?=?44) to improve student engagement, motivation and cognition. It was recognised that for the potential benefits of student-response systems (SRSs) to be fully realised, more time must be allocated for student engagement and the active learning components of the course. In order to allow sufficient time to fully engage with the SRSs and other classroom activities, traditional lectures were revised and the classroom format was flipped. This paper presents the initial case study results focusing on the use of SRSs. Overall, the new flipped lecture and SRS teaching format demonstrated a substantial increase in the level of student engagement, motivation, active learning and attendance compared to previous cohorts. However, the increased levels of engagement did not appear to reflect on any large increase in students’ individual grades.     

Commentary on vocational mathematics education: where mathematics education confronts the realities of people’s work

In this commentary I will address the notions of work, the need for innovation, and the role of workplace mathematics. I will then provide an overview of some of the complex issues that confront the subfield of vocational mathematics education with consequences for current and future workers, drawing in part on the work of Basil Bernstein. Finally, I will address the question of workplace research and offer some possible directions for future research, as well as implications for policy. Reflections on the articles included in this special issue will frame the discussion.     

Towards a history of e-ducation? Exploring the possibilities of digital humanities for the history of education

In the past few years, worries about decreasing jobs or even the possible disappearance of the history of education as a field of study have frequently surfaced. Hence, the question arises as to whether the history of education, as a field of study, has a future – or is it, as many authors have remarked, in danger? This article starts from the idea that our field of study is definitely not alone in its struggle: many branches of the humanities have fallen victim to similar appeals of economic efficiency and relevance. In response to these developments, digital humanities in particular have been identified as a way out of the impasse. Therefore, this article explores the ways in which digital humanities or digital history can offer valuable contributions to the future of the history of education. This paper advocates that, although digital humanities or digital history cannot magically make our problems disappear, historians of education should further embrace the possibilities digital technology has to offer for the investigation of our educational past. I argue that digital technology not only has the potential to make our lives considerably easier; it can also help in addressing new research questions, give new meaning to existing concepts within the history of education and further enhance the interdisciplinary character of our discipline.     

The history of education in non‐education periodicals, 1939–1967: A bibliography

Abstract

Children with special educational needs form a substantial minority of the school population. The mechanisms and associated resources in the 1981 Education Act were oriented towards children with statements of special educational needs and neglected children with special needs but without statements. This paper examines the recent shift in policy emphasis away from the former, and towards the latter, group. The precursors to this position, notably the unmanageable rise (for LEAs) in numbers of children with statements and the broadening of the basis on which children were given statements, are examined. Both the 1994 Code of Practice concerning children with special needs and the proposed changes to the National Curriculum can be seen in part as, by redefining non statemented special needs provision, mechanisms to tackle the inexorable increase in statements. Four major repercussions of this shift are discussed. Finally some longer term implications are examined.     

Explaining the persistence of “decentralisation” of education in Egypt

This study examines how and why decentralisation remained central to education reform in Egypt over the period 1990–2016 despite the mixed outcome at both the national and international levels. Three decentralisation models were examined: community schools, public-private partnerships and school-based management. Network analysis was combined with a process-tracing approach to identify the key actors and mechanisms causing policy persistence. Analysis revealed international agencies used coercion through funding and persuasion by framing the models to match political sponsors’ interests. There was also bounded-rational learning by national actors from foreign experts and experiences and several complementary mechanisms with minor influence.     

Prospective Turkish primary teachers’ views about the use of computers in mathematics education

The use of computers and technology in mathematics education affects students’ learning, achievements, and affective dimensions. This study explores prospective Turkish primary mathematics teachers’ views about the use of computers in mathematics education. The sample comprised of 129 fourth-year prospective primary mathematics teachers from two different universities in Turkey. Data consisting of participants’ written responses were qualitatively analyzed and categorized according to TPACK. Results show that the prospective teachers’ views about computers and their use in mathematics are usually positive. They enjoy working with computers, even though they are only able to perform relatively minor calculations with computers. They stated that improved use of computers can help them to learn and teach mathematics more effectively. However, they did not feel confident about their ability to teach mathematics using computers.     

Some sources for the history of technical education in England —Part One

The Economics of Education. By J. Vaizey. Pp. 165. Faber and Faber, 1962. 21s.

Education for the Professions. Edited by Nelson B. Henry. The 61st Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part II. Pp. xi, 312, cvii. University of Chicago Press, 1962. $4.50.

American Higher Education: A Documentary History. By Richard Hofstadter and Wilson Smith. Two vols., pp. xv+474, viii + 542. University of Chicago Press, 1962. $15.00.

Ability and Educational Opportunity. Edited by A. H. Halsey. Pp. an. London: H.M. Stationery Office (for O.E.C.D.), 1962. 15s.

Medicine—A Lifelong Study. (Proceedings of the Second World Conference on Medical Education, Chicago, 1959.) Edited by Hugh Clegg, B.M.J., London. Pp. XX+816. New York and London: World Medical Association, 1961. £6.18s.od.

Learning and Living, 1790–1960. By J. F. C. Harrison. Pp. 404. London: Routledge &; Kegan Paul, 1961. 45s.

University Adult Education. By Renee and William Petersen, and Warren Rovetch. Pp. 288. New York: Harper, 1961. $5.50.

The Inquiring Mind. By C. O. Houle. Pp. 88. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1961. $5, and (paper) $1.50.

Parent Education—an International Survey. By H. H. Stern. Pp. 164. University of Hull and Unesco Institute for Education, 1961. 6s. (paper).

The Growth of Basic Mathematical and Scientific Concepts in Children. By K. Lovell. Pp. 154. University of London Press, 1962. 15s.

On Teaching Mathematics. By B. Thwaites. Pp. 116. London: Pergamon Press, 1962. 7s. 6d.

Popular Lectures in Mathematics. Parts 2, 4, 5, 6. About 75 pp each. London: Pergamon Press, 1962. 10s. each.

Philosophy and Education. By Louis Arnaud Reid. Pp. xvi, 203. London: Heinemann, 1962. 25s.

Modern Philosophies of Education (Third Edition). By John S. Brubacher. Pp. ix, 373. New York and London: McGraw‐Hill, 1962. 52s. 6d.

An Introduction to the Sociology of Education. By Karl Mannheim and W. A. C. Stewart. Pp. xyiii, 187. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1962. 21s.

Sociometry and Education. By K. M. Evans. Pp. vii, 149. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1962. 18s.     

Some sources for the history of technical education in England —Part two

Abstract

This paper argues that some educational policy slogans, particularly compound slogans, are inherently paradoxical, and that while this may have a strong motivational effect, in appealing to a wide range of ideals and aspirations, it renders both the implementation and the evaluation of certain policies problematic. The example is given of equal opportunities in relation to gender and subject choice.