• Communications of Mathematical Education
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.59-72
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to understand the characteristics of the mathematical modeling tasks and lesson designs developed by pre-service teachers based on the inherent awareness of mathematical modeling, considering the importance of creating a task to perform mathematical modeling activity and designing a lesson. As a result, the mathematical modeling tasks developed by pre-service teachers mainly presents an appropriate amount of information using real life contexts for the purpose of learning using concepts, and it showed a tendency to develop to the level of cognitive demand that required procedures with connections to understanding, meaning, or concepts. And most of the developed modeling task-based lessons showed a tendency to design warm-up activity, model-eliciting activity, and model-exploration activity. This result is due to the lack of experience of pre-service teachers in creating mathematical modeling tasks. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously provide opportunities for pre-service teachers to learn concepts or create mathematical modeling tasks intended for exploration according to various mathematical contents, thereby actively cultivating their ability to create modeling tasks in the course of training pre-service teachers. Furthermore, it is necessary to strengthen the expertise in mathematical modeling teaching and learning by providing opportunities to actually perform the mathematical modeling-based classes designed by pre-service teachers and to experience the process of reflecting on the lessons.

• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.265-276
• /
• 2012

These days, with the emphasis on statistical literacy, the importance of communication is the focus of attention. Communication about statistics is important since it is a way of describing the understanding of concepts and the interpretation of data. However, students usually have trouble with expressing what they understand, especially through writing. In this paper, we examined preservice teachers' difficulties when they wrote about statistical concepts. By comparing preservice teachers' written responses and interview transcripts of the variance concept task, we could find the missing information in their written language compared to their verbal language. From the results, we found that preservice teachers had difficulty in connecting terms contextually and conceptually, presenting various factors of the concepts that they considered, and presenting the problem solving strategies that they used.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.457-474
• /
• 2014

Recently, with the development of technology, intuitive understanding of abstract mathematical concepts through visualizations is growing in popularity within college mathematics. In this study, we introduce free visualization tools developed for better understanding of topics which students learn in Calculus. We visualize important concepts of Calculus as much as we can according to the order of most Calculus textbooks. In this process, we utilized a well-known, free mathematical software called GeoGebra. Finally, we discuss our experience with visualizations in Calculus using GeoGebra in our class and discuss how it can be effectively adopted to other university math classes and high school math education.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.45-55
• /
• 2014

Lacan gives an explanation on our real actual world by the concepts the "Real", the "Imaginary" and the "Symbolic". Although this three registers are not far from each other, they never can be unified. Among animals, only human has interest in the "truth". The concept of truth is discussed and debated in several contexts, including philosophy and religion. Many human activities depend upon the concept, which is assumed rather than a subject of discussion, including science, law, and everyday life. Language and words are a means by which humans convey information to one another, and the method used to determine what is a "truth" is termed a criterion of truth. Accepting then that "language is the basic social institution in the sense that all others presuppose language", Lacan found in Ferdinand de Saussure's linguistic division of the verbal sign between signifier and signified a new key to the Freudian understanding that "his therapeutic method was 'a talking cure'". The purpose of this paper is to understand Lacan's psychology and psychoanalysis by using the mathematical concepts and mathematical models, especially geometrical and topological models. And re-explanation of the symbolic model and symbols can help students understand new ideas and concepts in the educational scene.

• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.235-250
• /
• 2009

Researchers at Truman State University in Missouri, located in the heartland of the United States, have been using materials adapted from the English translations of the sixth national primary mathematics curriculum from Korea for professional development and assessment with groups of Missouri teachers for the purpose of enhancing teachers' understanding of the fundamentals of mathematics since 2002 [gecKo Mathematics (2008). Korean Mathematics in American Classrooms. Edited by J. Grow-Maienza. Adapted from Korean Mathematics (2001). Kirksville, MO: Truman State University. http://kmath.truman.edu/]. A professional development initiative for 50 teachers conducted in Missouri this past year is reported here. Significant gains in teacher understanding of fundamental mathematics concepts and pedagogy necessary for student achievement in primary mathematics were found as a result of the initiative.

• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.99-115
• /
• 2022

This study examined difficulties middle school students have in learning mathematics and proposed a flipped classroom consisting of Khan Academy activities, small-group problem solving, and mathematical modeling to help improve their learning. A mixed-method approach was used to identify difficulties students have in learning mathematics, explore how the flipped classroom helped them reduce the learning difficulties identified, and examine if there were differences in students' mathematics achievement and their affective characteristics after participating in the flipped classroom. Qualitative analyses showed that students had difficulties in understanding mathematical concepts and finding effective ways to learn as well as negative views towards learning mathematics. This study also found that each activity of the flipped classroom had a different impact on student learning. Before class, the Khan Academy activities were most likely to help students understand mathematical concepts. In class, small-group problem solving activities were most helpful for students who had trouble finding effective learning methods and environments. Mathematical modeling activities were most likely effective in changing students' negative views towards mathematics. A quantitative analysis showed that the flipped classroom not only significantly improved the students' mathematics achievement, but also positively affected their confidence and motivation and how much they valued learning mathematics.

• Research in Mathematical Education
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.1-28
• /
• 2002

This study explored teachers (n = 219) from northern, central, southern and eastern Taiwan concerning their views about children's learning difficulties, mathematical instruction and school mathematics curricular. Results showed that teachers' mathematics knowledge or their instruction methods had no significant influence on their views of children's learning difficulties. Even though teachers indicated that understanding of abstract mathematical concepts was the most prominent difficulty for children, they tended to employ direct instruction rather than constructive and cooperative problem solving in their teaching. However, teachers' views of children's learning difficulties did influence their instructional practice. Results from in-dept interviews revealed that there were some obstacles that prevented teachers from putting constructiveism perspectives of instruction into teaching practice. Further investigation is needed to develop a better understanding of epistemology and teaming psychology as well as to help teachers create constructive learning situations.

• School Mathematics
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.373-399
• /
• 2001

The function is a basic and key concept to understand mathematical problems. However, many students have difficulties to expand the knowledge to other related concepts and to transfer the knowledge to real world problems. The reasons for the problem may be that the concept of function is taught by simplified and abstracted formula without fully understanding of the reasoning process. Also, the examples for the concepts are artificial and not related to students' experiences. Situated learning theory provides great implications to solve these problems. So, this study was designed to teach the concept of function more meaningful to students by appling situated learning theory. Thirty-eight middle school students were participated in this study. Students were provided the instruction designed according to the principles of situated learning theory. Then, they were asked to complete attitude survey questionnair and a performance assessment task. The result showed that the instruction based on situated learning theory was useful to Promote students' understanding and motivation for learning. More implications of the study was provided in the paper.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.19-38
• /
• 2024

This study aims to analyze the characteristics of students' understanding of artificial intelligence and mathematical concepts by developing and applying an artificial intelligence education program for mathematics convergence using robots. To this end, we analyzed the content standards of elementary artificial intelligence education to extract conceptual elements of artificial intelligence and identified mathematics achievement standards that can effectively integrate them. In particular, a five-session (15 classes in total) program was developed by selecting the units 'angle' and 'quadrilateral' suitable for utilizing the robot's movement and reorganizing the lesson to integrate the mathematics achievement standard with the artificial intelligence content elements. As a result of applying this to 22 fourth grade elementary school students over five months and analyzing the students' understanding revealed by topic of artificial intelligence content, the artificial intelligence education program for mathematics convergence using robots was helpful in students' understanding artificial intelligence principles and mathematical concepts. In addition, the use of robots was confirmed to improve students' understanding of artificial intelligence and mathematics as well as their participation in class by making them visually check a series of performing procedures.

• The Mathematical Education
• /
• v.45 no.3 s.114
• /
• pp.345-365
• /
• 2006

This study, to effectively teach the concepts, principles and problem solving ability of the 2nd graders' learning of numbers and operations, offers realistic problem situation and focuses on the learning based on 'mathematization', one of the most important principles of RME (Realistic Mathematics Education) which is the mathematics education trend of Netherlands influenced by Freudenthal's theory. The instruction is applied to forty-one students of the 2nd grader for six weeks in twelve series in an elementary school, located in Seoul. To investigate the effects of the mathematising experience instruction for improving mathematical abilities, the group takes tests before and after the instruction. Also the qualitative analysis on the students' mathematising aspects through students' output at the instruction process is taken into account to evaluate the instruction's effects. The result shows that the mathematising experience instruction for improving mathematical abilities is proved to improve students' understanding of mathematical concepts and principles and their problem solving ability in learning numbers and operations after carrying out this instruction. Also the result indicates that students' mathematising aspects are mostly horizontal and vertical mathematization.