Some characteristics of mathematics teaching in Zimbabwean infant and primary school classrooms

The purpose of this paper is to highlight some observations made in a recent study aimed at describing the nature of current practice in the teaching of mathematics in Zimbabwean infant and primary school grades. It has been observed that the teaching is characterized by, among other things, a preponderance of chorus responses, non‐questioning pupils, lack of problem solving, teaching more than mathematics, more product and less process orientation, and small group work with group leaders. It is proposed that if teachers wish to improve the quality of their teaching then an appropriate starting point is that of apprehending and understanding what they currently do in their classrooms. Such an understanding can be developed through deliberate and serious observation of and reflection on their own current practice. This paper is intended to stimulate that process. It is also suggested that the observations described here can be turned into research questions for investigations that can provide insights into ways of increasing effectiveness of mathematics teaching and learning in primary schools.     

将素质教育思想融入数学教学之中

高等数学是电大开放教育财经、理工专业的一门基础必修课。在开放教育数学教学中,必须充分发挥数学课程的实用、思维、德育、美育等功能,注重数学思想方法教学,运用多种教学方式,培养学生思维能力和自主学习的能力。     

Early mathematics assessment: validation of the short form of a prekindergarten and kindergarten mathematics measure

In recent years, there has been increased interest in improving early mathematics curricula and instruction. Subsequently, there has also been a rise in demand for better early mathematics assessments, as most current measures are limited in their content and/or their sensitivity to detect differences in early mathematics development among young children. In this article, using data from two large samples of diverse populations of prekindergarten and kindergarten children, we provide evidence regarding the psychometric validity of a new theory-based early mathematics assessment. The new measure is the short form of a longer, validated measure. Our results suggest the short form assessment is valid for assessing prekindergarten and kindergarten children’s numeracy and geometry skills and is sensitive to differences in early mathematics development among young children.     

Strategy diversity in early mathematics classrooms

Strategic processes are a form of procedural knowledge in which a child knows how to enact a given strategy that improves their capability in problem solving or learning. The solution strategies children use are critical components of their learning, especially in mathematics. Children vary substantially in their knowledge and use of different strategies, and much research has focused on intraindividual strategy variability. However, we do not know if classrooms that evince a broader variety of strategies across children are related to higher mathematics achievement. We investigated the diversity of arithmetical strategies within classrooms and examined the relations between strategy diversity and mathematical achievement as children moved from preschool to kindergarten and first grade. These analyses were applied to data from a large-scale experiment involving 1305 children from 42 schools and 106 classrooms. We created and applied a new method of measuring classroom strategy diversity and related this measure to children’s concurrent and subsequent math achievement. We found that early strategy diversity was strongly related to achievement, but in subsequently, less diversity was so related. We compared these results to the predictions of three theoretical categories and found that our results mainly supported one.     

Metaphors in mathematics classrooms: analyzing the dynamic process of teaching and learning of graph functions

This article presents an analysis of a phenomenon that was observed within the dynamic processes of teaching and learning to read and elaborate Cartesian graphs for functions at high-school level. Two questions were considered during this investigation: What types of metaphors does the teacher use to explain the graphic representation of functions at high-school level? Is the teacher aware of the use he/she has made of metaphors in his/her speech, and to what extent does he/she monitor them? The theoretical framework was based on embodied cognition theory. Our findings include teachers’ expressions that suggest, among other ideas: (1) orientation metaphors, such as “the abscissa axis is horizontal”; (2) fictive motion, such as “the graph of a function can be considered as the trace of a point that moves over the graph”; (3) ontological metaphors; and (4) interaction of metaphors. We also show that teachers were not aware of using metaphors.     

创设良好的教学情境 提高中职数学课堂的教学质量

通过在中职数学教学中创设情境,旨在帮助学生克服学习中职数学的畏惧心理,树立学好数学的信心,激发求知欲,提高中职数学课堂教学质量。     

数学教学质量的模糊综合评价

本文利用模糊数学综合评判的方法对数学教师教学质量进行了综合评价。建立了数学教学质量的评价体系,提出了用于数学教学质量多目标多级模糊综合评价的数学模型和评价方法,并进行了实例分析.能够较为客观地反映数学教师的综合教学水平。     

Improving mathematics teaching and learning experiences for hard of hearing students with wireless technology-enhanced classrooms

Hard of hearing students usually face more difficulties at school than other students. A classroom environment with wireless technology was implemented to explore whether wireless technology could enhance mathematics learning and teaching activities for a hearing teacher and her 7 hard of hearing students in a Taiwan junior high school. Experiments showed that the highly interactive communication through the wireless network increased student participation in learning activities. Students demonstrated more responses to the teacher and fewer distraction behaviors. Fewer mistakes were made in in-class course work because Tablet PCs provided students scaffolds. Students stated that the environment with wireless technology was desirable and said that they hoped to continue using the environment to learn mathematics.     

Comparing performance: a cross-national investigation into the teaching of mathematics in primary classrooms in England and China

This article presents initial findings from an empirical study of the effectiveness of mathematics teaching (EMT). The article explores the teaching of mathematics in two very different contexts: England and China. Within each country, the target cohort of pupils were those aged 9–10 and overall, 19 teachers, 10 from England and nine from China, participated in the study together with their pupils (n = 562). Two internationally validated instruments were used to collect the data and teacher behaviours were also measured systematically. In addition, structured observation was undertaken in classrooms in both countries. The results show that, on average, Chinese teachers scored higher on effective teaching measures and Chinese pupils outscored their English peers in the tests that were part of the study. This research project is currently collecting qualitative data but its findings, to date, reinforce the findings from previous research studies suggesting that certain teacher behaviours and classroom factors work effectively to improve student learning outcomes.     

Nature of learning environment in concurrent enrollment mathematics classrooms: a cluster analysis

Learning Environments Research - Concurrent enrollment programs, which allow college credit-bearing classes to be offered in the high school taught by qualified high-school teachers, are a...     

Gender interaction in mathematics classrooms: Reflection and transformation

In this article, studies done on gender in Botswana's classrooms at the junior secondary level, are reported. The initial studies were more quantitative in nature, and dealt with questioning as part of classroom interaction. The studies revealed other gender related issues however, which were observed in more detail later. With the participating teachers, the findings were discussed and a plan for reform in their teaching was drawn up.     

Navigating mathematics and language tensions in language immersion classrooms

Based on analyses of videos from language immersion classrooms in Colombia and the US, we examine how teachers manage the tension between how much attention to give to mathematics and to language. Consistent with previous research that regards mathematics and language as inseparable, findings suggest that teaching episodes fall along a continuum from mathematically intense to linguistically intense, with some balanced episodes in the middle of the continuum. Balanced episodes exhibited semiotic juxtaposition where multiple semiotic resources were used simultaneously. We discuss implications that the intentional use of semiotic juxtaposition may have for language immersion mathematics learners.     

综合运用多媒体，提高数学教学质量

为了激发学生学习兴趣，解决数学中的教学重点和难点，将多媒体教学与数学学科整合，可以达到事半功倍的效果，优化课堂必须用好多媒体。     

浅析数学实验教学

在数学教学中创设恰当的问题情境 ,引导学生通过实验手段 ,从直观、想象到发现、猜想 ,然后给出验证及理论证明 ,从而使学生亲历数学建构过程 ,逐步掌握认识事物 ,发现真理的方式、方法 ,是引导学生创造性地解决问题的有效途径 ,是完善学生认知结构 ,培养学生形成“动手实践 ,自主探索与合作交流” ,即“做数学”的现代数学学习观 ,以达到提高学生数学素养 ,促使其全面认识数学两个侧面的重要途径 ,并可通过数学实验教学进而培养学生实事求是的科学态度、勇于探索的科学精神及团结协作的集体主义精神。数学实验教学可有效地摈弃以往教学中过…     

提高高等数学教学质量的对策

高等数学作为高校教学中的基础学科,对培养学生分析问题和解决问题的能力具有义不容辞的责任;教师应营造良好的课堂环境,激发学生的学习兴趣;通过数学实验、数学建模竞赛,在知识的应用中激发学生的学习兴趣,提高教学质量。     

Perceived learning environment and students' emotional experiences: A multilevel analysis of mathematics classrooms

A multilevel approach was used to analyse relationships between perceived classroom environments and emotions in mathematics. Based on Pekrun's (2000) [A social-cognitive, control-value theory of achievement emotions. In J. Heckhausen (Ed.), Motivational psychology of human development (pp. 143–163)] social-cognitive, control-value theory of achievement emotions, we hypothesized that environmental characteristics conveying control and value to the students would be related to their experience of enjoyment, anxiety, anger, and boredom in mathematics. Multilevel modelling of data from 1623 students from 69 classes (grades 5–10) confirmed close relationships between environmental variables and emotional experiences that functioned predominantly at the individual level. Compositional effects further revealed that classes' aggregate environment perceptions as well as their compositions in terms of aggregate achievement and gender ratio were additionally linked to students' emotions in mathematics. Methodological and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Cogenerated understandings of mindfulness-based breathing in elementary mathematics classrooms

Bringing an awareness of emotions to the fore through mindfulness-based breathing and providing a space to discuss them is a way of promoting teacher and student agency in collectively developing structures specific to their learning environment. The authors explore students', teachers', and researchers' collective sensemaking through cogenerative dialoguing (cogen) about a mindfulness-based breathing practice at the start of mathematics lessons in an elementary classroom. They found that the power of cogen as hybridized space enabled the generation of collective understanding and the potential for all cogen participants to become engaged in an authentic and transformative way in discussing classroom life. The authors argue that the mindfulness-based breathing practice itself acted as a heuristic for thinking about learning environments and, during the reflexive process of thinking about the breathing practice, new forms of classroom culture unfolded both expanding classroom structures and the practice itself, and laying bare otherwise taken-for-granted practices.