Combatting ‘mathophobia’ with a conceptual approach toward mathematics

Mathophobia, or excessive fear of mathematics, helps prevent many university students from succeeding in basic mathematics courses required for success in their disciplines. A program at San Francisco State University called Math Without Fear is designed to ameliorate mathophobia. The course seeks to move students from rigid reliance on rules without understanding (rule orientation) to an understanding of mathematical concepts and flexibility in problem solving (concept orientation). The instructional techniques of the Math Without Fear program do not enable all students to discard their rule orientation in one semester. An arithmetic and problem solving test appears to be a good advance predictor of which students will remain rule oriented, and separating these students into special sections of the Math Without Fear course is a promising means of increasing the program's success rate.     

Sri Lanka: a holistic approach to reproductive health

In response to the request of Sri Lankan adolescents in the provision of family planning knowledge prior to marriage, a holistic approach to reproductive health education program supported by the UN Population Fund/Dutch multi-bilateral assistance was adopted. This program is jointly coordinated by the Social Science Department of the National Institute of Education and the Department of Science and Health. It conducts counseling by peers and teachers and educating parents concerning adolescent health. In addition, the Government invited nongovernmental organizations and private sectors to assist in the development of a national policy concerning reproductive and adolescent health. Policy statements were recognized by the public and programs at the community level were implemented by a task force. The government initiated preventive strategies through the counseling center network of the National Youth Services Council and the vocational training centers of the Vocational Training Authority. Reactions of Sri Lankan adolescents to these initiatives have been positive. They have demonstrated favorable attitude towards reproductive health and are receptive to family planning concerns. However, there is still a need to provide an organized service delivery program to ensure the availability and provision of contraception to adolescents.     

Teaching mathematics after hours

The quantum of instruction time allocated to curriculum subjects such as mathematics facilitates greater exposure to knowledge and skill development, leading to higher levels of achievement. There are a number of manifestations of time to consider when investigating the quantum of time in mathematics education. The OECD have investigated the time allocated to mathematics by schools internationally, while also reporting on the prevalence of private tuition and time spent on homework. However, to date, no attention has been afforded to the provision of ‘hidden curriculum time’ for mathematics. This study seeks to advance the work of the OECD and describes a case study that sought to ascertain if teachers in Ireland provide additional mathematics lessons outside of school hours. The authors examined how prevalent this practice is, how many additional minutes some students receive as a result of this practice and ascertained teachers’ reasons for providing/not providing these additional mathematics classes. The results from this case study show that the majority of teachers at Senior Cycle provide these classes while a large proportion of Junior Cycle teachers also do. In extreme cases, these additional classes expose students to an additional 88.3 h of mathematics over the two-year Senior Cycle programme.     

浅探大学数学教学改革

大学数学课程是大学基础课的重点学科,对于大学生素质、能力的培养具有重要作用。本文在分析了现阶段大学数学教学的现状的基础上,提出教学改革的策略,探讨了启发式与对比教学法在大学数学教学中的应用。     

An exploratory approach to advanced mathematics

There is little current use of more exploratory approaches to the teaching and learning of advanced mathematics. This article describes a simple exploratory teaching model, and reports the findings of a small-scale action-research project to implement and evaluate it. There are discussions of student perceptions and attitudes, and of student attainment. The principal findings are that there was no underachievement under the exploratory approach, and that student preferences for routinised mathematical activity and directed teaching style were strongly associated.     

Exploring pedagogical strategies to integrate a holistic approach to education into ESL classes

Holistic education is a popular trend in the midst of various educational reforms, yet little systematic research has been done to consider its application in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) for Asian Chinese learners. According to the New Zealand Ministry of Education, holistic education is defined as an approach to teaching to include the physical, social, emotional, cultural, and cognitive dimensions of a person’s growth. Education reform in Taiwan has adopted a Western constructivist approach. However, in Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC), open teacher–student and student–student interactions are not as common as they are in the social constructivist model found in the Anglo-Saxon culture. CHC values social harmony, teachers’ authority, and silence to avoid confrontation. Without understanding the affective and social environment in the Western context, holistic education is unlikely to be successfully implemented in Taiwan. The purpose of this research is to understand the contextualization of the holistic environment and pedagogical strategies that nurture student–teacher and student–student interactions in a holistic approach to EFL. This study utilized qualitative research methods of observation and in-depth interviews of New Zealand English teachers and observed the pedagogical practices in New Zealand English classes. This research provided effective pedagogical strategies for implementing the social and affective support of a holistic educational approach for Asian EFL students.

Empowering educationally disadvantaged mathematics students through a strategies-based problem solving approach

A major impediment to problem solving in mathematics in the great majority of South African schools is that disadvantaged students from seriously impoverished learning environments are lacking in the necessary informal mathematical knowledge to develop their own strategies for solving non-routine problems. A randomized pretest–posttest control group design was used to empirically investigate the effectiveness of a strategies-based problem solving approach on the problem solving performance of 9th grade disadvantaged students. In this approach students receive explicit instruction on a wide repertoire of problem solving strategies. The results reported in this study show a significant improvement in problem solving performance when a strategies-based approach to problem solving was being implemented. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the responses to the items showed how the treatment group students had internalized as part of their problem solving repertoire the strategies on which they had been explicitly instructed on. The findings of this study make a case for the adoption of this approach so that the gap between the student’s existing problem solving competence, and the cognitive demands of a problem solving task can be bridged.     

论数学建模思想在高等数学教学中的渗透

学习高等数学的目的在于应用数学思想方法解决实际问题,将数学建模思想渗透到高等数学教学中,可提高学生应用数学知识和方法解决实际问题的能力。因此,要把数学建模思想贯穿在教学的始终,使数学建模意识成为学生思考问题的方法和习惯。在高等数学教学中渗透数学建模思想,可以通过概念教学、定理教学、解题教学等方面来进行,使学生浸润在数学美的享受之中。     

The training of educational administrators: An holistic approach

Starting from the assumption that administrative personnel in educational programmes would be more efficient, if they were professionally trained; this paper outlines the guiding principles of good training and attempts to derive appropriate methods of training. To illustrate its argument, it analyses the current prerequisites for school principals and concludes that the current basic requirement that principals be experienced teachers is inappropriate. On the contrary, principals should be selected from a reservoir wider than the teaching profession, subjected to criteria pertinent to principalship and more thoroughly trained in all dimensions of its functions.     

The language of mathematics teaching: a text mining approach to explore the zeitgeist of US mathematics education

Educational Studies in Mathematics - Exploring language provides us with one approach to better understanding the practices and beliefs of a community. With advances in...     

"问题解决"教学在数学教学中的实践

“问题解决”教学是实施素质教育,进行数学教育改革的一种有效教学模式。在数学课堂教学中如果能根据教学目标,设计并提出系列具有趣味和魅力的问题和任务,向学生提出智力挑战,引起学生的思考,将激发学生参与整个教学过程,最终达到学生主动发现、积极探索,深层次理解并掌握和应用隐含于问题背后的知识,提高解决问题的能力。     

Design approach of mathematics learning activities in a digital environment for children with autism spectrum disorders

Learning environment on mathematics for autistic children is a prototype of a digital environment with dynamic adaptation features designed to offer activities towards the development of mathematical reasoning in children aged 6–12 years, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities. This paper, with a primarily conceptual and analytical scope, discusses the mathematical difficulties that some children with ASD have, and presents strategies that can be used to overcome them. Based on a literature review and on the results of a preliminary study already conducted, we present results concerning the proposal of a set of learning activities for the prototype under development, specifically targeted to promote mathematical reasoning in students with ASD. Guidelines for future research are also discussed.     

The teaching of mathematics to young children using a problem solving approach

It is the purpose of this article to report upon the early stages of a research project in Mathematical Education, currently in progress at the Polytechnic of the South Bank, London. The project, supported by funds from the Social Science Research Council, is entitled, The Skills and Procedures of Mathematical Problem Solving in pupils of 9–13 years (S.P.M.P.S.) The article explores the background to the need for such a project, both from a mathematical and from a pedagogic point of view.