• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.405-423
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• 1998

This study aims to reflect the origin and the meaning of open education and to derive pedagogical principles for open mathematics education. Open education originates from Socrates who was the founder of discovery learning and has been developed by Locke, Rousseau, Froebel, Montessori, Dewey, Piaget, and so on. Thus open education is based on Humanism and Piaget's psychology. The aim of open education consists in developing potentials of children. The characteristics of open education can be summarized as follows: open curriculum, individualized instruction, diverse group organization and various instruction models, rich educational environment, and cooperative interaction based on open human relations. After considering the aims and the characteristics of open education, this study tries to suggest the aims and the directions for open mathematics education according to the philosophy of open education. The aim of open mathematics education is to develop mathematical potentials of children and to foster their mathematical appreciative view. In order to realize the aim, this study suggests five pedagogical principles. Firstly, the mathematical knowledge of children should be integrated by structurizing. Secondly, exploration activities for all kinds of real and concrete situations should be starting points of mathematics learning for the children. Thirdly, open-ended problem approach can facilitate children's diverse ways of thinking. Fourthly, the mathematics educators should emphasize the social interaction through small-group cooperation. Finally, rich educational environment should be provided by offering concrete and diverse material. In order to make open mathematics education effective, some considerations are required in terms of open mathematics curriculum, integrated construction of textbooks, autonomy of teachers and inquiry into children's mathematical capability.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.59-74
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• 2008

Mathematical knowledge is not exact definition but the supposition. Considering the nature of mathematics, realization of mathematics teaching which pursues critical thinking and rationality would be our problems. Accordingly, I set the subject of this study whether learning of constructivist discussion, which induces reflective thinking through communicating with others by expression with language of mathematical thinking in discussion, is effective against attitude on Mathematics and Mathematics achievement and study themes are as follows; A. Is learning of constructivist discussion effective against attitude on Mathematics? A-1. Is there any difference of self-conception on the subject between experimental group applied to learning of constructivist discussion and comparative group? A-2. Is there any difference of attitude on the subject between experimental group applied to learning of constructivist discussion and comparative group? A-3. Is there any difference of learning habits on the subject between experimental group applied to learning of constructivist discussion and comparative group? B. Is learning of constructivist discussion effective against mathematics achievement? The objects of study are 30 children of one class in the third grade of elementary school in Seoul for experimental group, and another one class with 30 children is comparative group. Study results and conclusion based on those results are as follows; First, students make reflective thinking through communication each other, therefore, instructor should create discussion environment for communication to express and form their mathematical thinking. Next, adaptability in student's mathematics activities and mathematical ideas should be permissible, and those should become divergent thinking. However, this study analyzed comparative results from only two each class having enrollment of thirty in the third grade. Accordingly, results from students in various grades and environment that are required to get more significant conclusion statistically.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.47-62
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• 2020

Learning through "recreational mathematics" has become a meaningful outlet to children of all ages. The Edumatrix set is a didactic tool for the development of logical and abstract reasoning among students. In this paper, we provide several illustrative exercises involving Edumatrix that teachers can utilize in their classrooms. We formulate students' expected learning outcomes by aligning each exercise to the CCSSM content standards as well as examining which Standards for Mathematical Practices (SMP) our proposed exercises promote.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.99-115
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to look into whether this mathematising learning utilizing realistic context has an effect on the mathematical thinking. To solve the above problem, two 5th grade classes of D Elementary School in Seoul were selected for performing necessary experiments with one class designated as an experimental group and the other class as a comparative group. Throughout 17 times for six weeks, the comparative group was educated with general mathematics learning by mathematics and "mathematics practices," while the experimental group was taught mainly with mathematising learning using realistic context. As a result, to start with, in case of the experimental group that conducted the mathematising learning utilizing realistic coherence, in the analogical and developmental thoughts which are mathematical thoughts related to the methods of mathematics, in the thinking of expression and the one of basic character which are mathematical thoughts related to the contents of mathematics, and in the thinking of operation, the average points were improved more than the comparative group, also having statistically significant differences. The study suggested that it is necessary to conduct subsequent studies that can verify by expanding to each grade, sex and region, develop teaching methods suitably to the other content domains and purposes of figures, and demonstrate the effects. In addition to those, evaluation tools which can evaluate the mathematical thinking processes of children appropriately and in more diversified methods will have to be developed. Furthermore, in order to maximize mathematising for each group in each mathematising process, it would be necessary to make efforts for further developing realistic problem situations, works and work sheets, which are adequate to the characteristics of the upper and lower groups.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.283-304
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• 2019

This paper investigates what informal knowledge and strategies fifth-grade students brought to a classroom and how much they had potential to solve fraction division story problems. The findings show that most of the participants were engaged to understand the meaning of fraction division prior to their formal instruction at school. In order to solve the story problems, the informal knowledge related to fractions as well as division was actively utilized in student's strategies and justification. Students also used various informal strategies from mental calculation, direct modeling, to relational thinking. Formal instructions about fraction division at schools can be facilitated for sense-making of this complex fraction division conception by unpacking informal knowledge and thinking they might bring to the classrooms.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.45 no.1 s.112
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• pp.1-24
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• 2006

The purpose of the study was to design and develop the performance assessment problems and the rubric of holistic evaluation approach for elementary school students in higher levels (6 graders). Problems include 6 tasks related to all content areas such as number and operation, etc. In addition, the results show the analyses of children's problem solving process and investigate how the performance assessment problems could be developed in order to develop children's higher-order thinking and problem solving skills.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.223-234
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• 2003

Children interest themselves in all different toys they see, before beginning to speak. The psychological reasons for children′s interest in toys have been investigated for a long time. Thus many scientists have studied on the question "what is game？", but they have not reached a consensus yet. Such contradiction may be dependent upon different points of view of the researchers about game. Besides, the view of game of a child and an adult is different too. According to an adult game is a rebirth and escape from monotony. For child it is a work. The aim of this study is to make mathematics regarding a mass of abstract concepts for the students of grade 1-3 of primary school in the concrete operations period, more attractive with the help of educational and instructional games, and to contribute to student′s developing. The capability of thinking and producing by changing abstract concepts into concrete ones.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2004

It is not too much to say that problem solving is still the focus of school mathematics though the trend of mathematics education for ten year from the one of 1980 is problem solving and the one of mathematics education for ten year from the one of 1990 is standards and constructivism. There are so many crucial clues or methods in good problem solving but I think that one of them is a representation. So, the purpose of this study is to investigate what is the meaning of representation in general and why representation is so important in elementary mathematics learning, Moreover, I have analyzed the gifted children's thinking of representation which is appeared in the previous internet home task of 40 gifted children who are selected through the examination of 1st, 2nd with paper and pencil and 3rd with practical skill and interview and finally I have presented some examples of children's representation how they use representation to model, investigate and understand special concept more easily in elementary school mathematics class.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.107-118
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• 2001

Mathematics subject of the seventh national curriculum in Korea, which has been effective since 2000, strongly encourages the use of calculators and computers to help children gain a better understanding of basic mathematical concepts and develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills without spending too much time and effort on making mechanical computations. Despite the recommendation by the national curriculum, however, only a small segment of elementary school teachers have been using calculators because of the fear that children\\`s dependence on calculators might bring about negative consequences. As a result, little research has been conducted in this area as well. This study has been conducted on the assumption that calculators have the potential for being a useful instructional tool in certain areas of elementary school mathematics education. To investigate the usefulness of calculators, a review was made of the scanty literature in the area. The literature review indicated that calculators are effective when they are used for the following purposes: understanding concepts and properties in numbers and operations, deducing mathematical rules, and solving problems. In view of the available research finding, we will give some concrete learning and teaching models of such uses of calculators. The teaching-learning models are organized around three categories: concept formation, discovery of principles and rules, and problem solving. Such organization is intended to help teachers use the models with ease.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.9 no.1 s.21
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• pp.1-9
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• 2005

This paper investigates instructional strategies with potential for improving students' achievement in word problem solving. This review compares and analyzes the direct instruction (DI) and cognitively guided instruction (CGI) research on K-3 word problem solving mathematics students in a demonstration of my position that teachers need to understand student mathematical thinking to enhance students' achievement in word problem solving. CGI provides a more appropriate instructional model than DI for teaching word problem solving. For example, student-centered, conceptual understanding, and children's informal or invented problem solving strategies communicating with each other mathematically, etc. Korean teachers and teacher educators need to consider implementing CGI teaching strategies.