Enhancing students’ mathematical reasoning in the classroom: teacher actions facilitating generalization and justification     

Joana Mata-Pereira  João-Pedro da Ponte 《Educational Studies in Mathematics》2017,96(2):169-186

A proof is a connected sequence of assertions that includes a set of accepted statements, forms of reasoning and modes of representing arguments. Assuming reasoning to be central to proving and aiming to develop knowledge about how teacher actions may promote students’ mathematical reasoning, we conduct design research where whole-class mathematical discussions triggered by exploratory tasks play a key role. We take mathematical reasoning as making justified inferences and we consider generalizing and justifying central reasoning processes. Regarding teacher actions, we consider inviting, informing/suggesting, supporting/guiding and challenging actions can be identified in whole-class discussions. This paper presents design principles for an intervention geared to tackle such reasoning processes and focuses on a whole-class discussion on a grade 7 lesson about linear equations and functions. Data analysis concerns teacher actions in relation to design principles and to the sought mathematical reasoning processes. The conclusions highlight teacher actions that lead students to generalize and justify. Generalizations may arise from a central challenging action or from several guiding actions. Regarding justifications, a main challenging action seems to be essential, while follow-up guiding actions may promote a further development of this reasoning process. Thus, this paper provides a set of design principles and a characterization of teacher actions which enhance students’ mathematical reasoning processes such as generalization and justification.  相似文献   

Two secondary teachers’ understanding and classroom practice of dialogic teaching: a case study   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Janneke van de Pol  Sue Brindley  Rupert John Edward Higham 《Educational studies》2017,43(5):497-515

Dialogic Teaching (DT) is effective in fostering student learning; yet, it is hard to implement. Little research focused on secondary teachers’ learning of DT and on the link between teachers’ understanding and practices, although these two are usually strongly intertwined. Using a wide range of evidence, this case study systematically investigated and compared two secondary teachers’ understanding and practice of DT during their participation in a continuing professional development programme (CPDP). The CPDP appeared effective to some extent. The History teacher’s understanding of DT, i.e. being a co-learner, appeared highly effective in implementing DT, whereas the Mathematics teacher’s understanding of DT, i.e. creating a democratic learning environment, seemed only effective to some extent. Focusing on both teachers’ understanding and practice when developing DT seemed fruitful in explaining differences in practice. Future research could further explore to what extent understanding DT as being a co-learner facilitates professional development.  相似文献   

The dynamics of connecting universities,non-governmental organizations and community members by means of academic projects directed at people in need     

João Alberto Arantes do Amaral  Cristina Toshie Motohashi Matsusaki 《Educational Action Research》2017,25(2):280-299

In this article we discuss an action research experience that took place from 2002 to 2015. We analyze the inception and progress of several project-based learning-centered academic courses that were aimed at developing the project management skills of graduate and undergraduate students. The experience involved approximately 1800 students from two universities and 40 community partners. The students developed real-life projects on behalf of institutions and non-governmental organizations located in the area that help people in need; we refer to these agencies as ‘community partners.’ We analyze the development of the course from a systemic perspective, making use of causal loop diagrams in order to understand the main driving dynamics. We discuss the results achieved by these projects and the benefits brought to the community partners. We also present testimony from the community partners themselves. We conclude by presenting the lessons we learned over the years we have been running this course.  相似文献   

From divergent evolution to witting cross-fertilisation: the need for more awareness of potential inter-discursive communication regarding students' extended historical writing     

James Edward Carroll 《Curriculum Journal》2017,28(4):504-523

History education stakeholders in England have consistently judged that some students find formal historical writing prohibitively difficult due to the demands of constructing an extended argument. While policy makers have agreed students need support in their historical writing, recurring themes in centralised resourcing have been wastage, incoordination and replication. Furthermore, two concurrent but largely disconnected discourses have developed and promulgated initiatives relevant to students’ extended historical writing: ‘genre theorists’ and the ‘history teachers’ extended writing movement’. Despite certain goals held in common participants in the two discourses have tended to talk past one another with concomitant issues in resourcing. Unsystematic, cross-fertilisation between the discourses has led to cycles of genre theory being collectively discovered, forgotten, and rediscovered by history teachers with knowledge not being built cumulatively. Furthermore both discourses have independently developed similar initiatives in a form of convergent evolution resulting in duplication of labour. Finally, divergent evolution has occurred where genre theorists have advocated approaches that are increasingly redundant for history teachers’ requirements. A more activist stance is therefore required to ensure meaningful inter-discursive communication between genre theorists and the history teachers’ ‘extended writing movement’ to ensure efficacy in developing approaches to improving students’ extended historical writing.  相似文献   

Immigrant girls as caregivers to younger siblings: a transnational feminist analysis     

Jo‐Anne Lee 《Gender and education》2011,23(2):105-119

This article employs a transnational feminist lens to examine the experiences of racialised immigrant girls who provide care for their younger siblings. The article draws on findings from a participatory action research study in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to examine the role that immigrant girls’ caregiving practices play in transnational families’ social, economic, and cultural survival. It argues that greater attention should be given to the diverse and complex contexts, consequences, costs, and contributions of immigrant girls’ caregiving labour.  相似文献   

Examining the accuracy of teachers' judgments of DIBELS performance     

Stacy D. Martin  Edward S. Shapiro 《Psychology in the schools》2011,48(4):343-356

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the accuracy of teachers' judgments of students' early literacy skills and to determine if students' achievement levels influenced teachers' judgments. Typical and lower‐achieving kindergarten and first‐grade students' scores on the Nonsense Word Fluency and Phoneme Segmentation Fluency measures of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) were compared to the predicted performance by their teachers. Results showed a moderately strong correlation between teachers' judgments and students' performance across all of the students, which is consistent with past research. Teachers' judgments, however, consistently and significantly overestimated the actual performance of students, particularly those who were typically performing students. The findings of the investigation suggest that relying on teachers' judgments of students' early literacy skills alone may be insufficient to accurately identify students at risk for reading difficulties. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.  相似文献   

The influence of child,family, home factors and pre‐school education on the identification of special educational needs at age 10     

Yvonne Anders  Pam Sammons  Brenda Taggart  Kathy Sylva  Edward Melhuish  Iram Siraj‐Blatchford 《British Educational Research Journal》2011,37(3):421-441

The early identification of young children's special educational needs (SEN), as well as the development of specific strategies to support those children identified with special needs, are increasingly recognised as crucial to facilitating good adjustment to school and to ensuring that such children are helped to reach their full potential in education. Using a large national sample of young children in England whose developmental progress was followed up from pre‐school, this study investigates which child, family, home and pre‐school factors can be viewed as risk or protective factors for later SEN‐status at age 10. The experience of high‐quality pre‐school education is shown to reduce the likelihood of a child being identified as experiencing SEN in the long run. Teachers’ assessments of SEN are found to be strongly related to children's reading and mathematics attainment, but other factors also predict SEN, including a child's age within a year group.  相似文献   

A study assessing the potential of negative effects in interdisciplinary math-biology instruction     

Madlung A  Bremer M  Himelblau E  Tullis A 《CBE life sciences education》2011,10(1):43-54

There is increasing enthusiasm for teaching approaches that combine mathematics and biology. The call for integrating more quantitative work in biology education has led to new teaching tools that improve quantitative skills. Little is known, however, about whether increasing interdisciplinary work can lead to adverse effects, such as the development of broader but shallower skills or the possibility that math anxiety causes some students to disengage in the classroom, or, paradoxically, to focus so much on the mathematics that they lose sight of its application for the biological concepts in the center of the unit at hand. We have developed and assessed an integrative learning module and found disciplinary learning gains to be equally strong in first-year students who actively engaged in embedded quantitative calculations as in those students who were merely presented with quantitative data in the context of interpreting biological and biostatistical results. When presented to advanced biology students, our quantitative learning tool increased test performance significantly. We conclude from our study that the addition of mathematical calculations to the first year and advanced biology curricula did not hinder overall student learning, and may increase disciplinary learning and data interpretation skills in advanced students.  相似文献   

Managing the Progressive Publishing Company During Market and Technology Transitions     

Lou Ann Sabatier  Edward Fitzelle 《Publishing Research Quarterly》2011,27(3):220-229

As new media technologies and platforms emerge and take hold in our society, traditional publishers are wondering: What’s in this new content climate for me? The simple answer is: a lot. The digital world, mobile content delivery mechanisms and the public’s increasing comfort—even preference for—a media menu from which they can pick and choose what they want and how they want to receive it, brings exciting and potentially lucrative opportunities. For publishers who understand how to leverage their brand and create authentic, identifiable value in the eyes of the customer, risk can be reduced and new revenue streams built. Here are four best practices to position your publishing company for growth.  相似文献   

Microfluidic wet spinning of chitosan-alginate microfibers and encapsulation of HepG2 cells in fibers     

Lee BR  Lee KH  Kang E  Kim DS  Lee SH 《Biomicrofluidics》2011,5(2):22208

The successful encapsulation of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells would greatly assist a broad range of applications in tissue engineering. Due to the harsh conditions during standard chitosan fiber fabrication processes, encapsulation of HepG2 cells in chitosan fibers has been challenging. Here, we describe the successful wet-spinning of chitosan-alginate fibers using a coaxial flow microfluidic chip. We determined the optimal mixing conditions for generating chitosan-alginate fibers, including a 1:5 ratio of 2% (w∕w) water-soluble chitosan (WSC) solution to 2% (w∕w) alginate solution. Ratio including higher than 2% (w∕w) WSC solution increased aggregation throughout the mixture. By suspending cells in the WSC-alginate solution, we successfully fabricated HepG2 cell-laden fibers. The encapsulated HepG2 cells in the chitosan-alginate fibers were more viable than cells encapsulated in pure alginate fibers, suggesting that cross-linked chitosan provides a better environment for HepG2 cells than alginate alone. In addition, we found that the adhesion of HepG2 cells on the chitosan-alginate fiber is much better than that on the alginate fibers.  相似文献