Teachers\u27 Conceptions of Mathematics and Intelligent Tutoring System Use

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the relationship between teachers’ conceptions of mathematics and their use of intelligent tutoring systems for mathematics instruction. Intelligent tutoring systems are adaptive computer programs which administer mathematics instruction to students based on their cognitive state. A conception is a mixture of beliefs and knowledge. The participants in this study were 93 junior high school mathematics teachers from three school districts in the Midwest. Data were gathered using a two-part online survey. The first part of the survey contained questions about their use of intelligent tutoring systems, graphing calculators, Desmos and dynamic geometry software. The second part of the survey contained Likert questions from the teachers’ version of the Conceptions of Mathematics Inventory. Desmos is a website providing interactive classroom activities and a user-friendly graphing calculator. Dynamic geometry software is a class of interactive geometry programs. The quantitative analysis revealed no statistically significant interactions between teachers’ conception scores and intelligent tutoring system use, or between teachers’ conception scores and how intelligent tutoring systems were used. There were statistically significant interactions between teachers’ conception scores and their use of graphing calculators, Desmos, and dynamic geometry software. The qualitative analysis revealed that teachers used intelligent tutoring systems for differentiation. Teachers used graphing calculators, Desmos, and dynamic geometry software for visual, computational, and exploratory purposes. Teachers exclusively using intelligent tutoring systems to incorporate technology should also incorporate technology which promotes student exploration

Sustavan pregled mrežnih okruženja učenja u nastavi Matematike na sekundarnoj razini obrazovanja: stavovi, postignuća, izazovi i moguća rješenja

Web-based learning environments (WBLE) are widely adopted in the context of higher education. Comparatively, little is known about how they are used in high school mathematics curricula. Therefore, this systematic review investigates how WBLEs are applied in high school education and which outcomes this instructional approach has resulted in up to now. 14 related journal publications on high school WBLE are identified and analysed in terms of their WBLE activities, student achievement, attitude, and challenges encountered. The findings suggest that several activities are used in WBLE. WBLE application in high school mathematics education produced a neutral or positive effect on student achievement when compared to traditional classroom-based learning. Students’ attitudes toward WBLE approach are varied. WBLE implementation challenges are classified as student-associated, faculty-associated, and operational. We proposed seven possible solutions to address these challenges based on previous studies. Also, recommendations for future research are discussedMrežna okruženja za učenje (WBLE) široko su prihvaćena u kontekstu visokoga obrazovanja. S druge strane, malo se zna o tome kako se ona koriste u programima matematike u višim razredima osnovnih te u srednjim školama. Stoga se u ovome sustavnom pregledu istražuje kako se WBLE primjenjuje na sekundarnoj razini obrazovanja i koji su dosdašnji rezultati primjene ovog nastavnoga pristupa. Odabrano je 14 relevantnih časopisa o WBLE-u na sekundarnoj razini obrazovanja te analizirano u smislu njihovih WBLE aktivnosti, postignuća učenika, stavova i izazova s kojima se susreću. Rezultati pokazuju da se u WBLE-u koristi nekoliko aktivnosti. Primjena WBLE-a u matematičkom obrazovanju na srednjoškolskoj razini proizvela je neutralan ili pozitivan učinak na učenička postignuća u usporedbi s tradicionalnim učenjem u učionici. Stavovi učenika o WBLE pristupu su različiti. Izazovi primjene WBLE-a javljaju se na razini učenika, nastavnika i organizacije. Na temelju prethodnih studija predložili smo sedam mogućih rješenja kao odgovor na njih. Također, u raspravi dajemo preporuke za buduća istraživanj

Using Blogs to Foster Inquiry, Collaboration, and Feedback in Pre-Service Teacher Education

This chapter presents a critical case study on the use of information technology in a pre-service teacher education program. The authors integrated Weblogs (blogs) into two constructivist-oriented teacher preparation courses with the goal of helping students learn to think like a teacher through enhanced inquiry, collaboration, and feedback. The authors found that, through the use of blogs, pre-service teaching candidates grew in their abilities to reflect on their own teaching and to provide constructive comments to peers. The authors’ experience also indicated that while instructor and peer feedback via blogs was valuable, it functioned best when paired with face-to-face meetings between the instructors and students. They discussed design principles for combining online and face-to-face environments and offer possibilities for the expanded use of blogs in pre-service teacher education

Mathematics education and technology

Recent international surveys such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report Students, Computers and Learning ( 2015) highlight the wide gap in students’ access to, and use of, technology in secondary mathematics in participating countries. The OECD “snapshot” methodology in which 15-year-old students were asked if they (or their teachers) had performed a range of mathematical tasks using computers in the month preceding their completion of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey revealed low levels of technology use (see Fig. 1)

New Interpretation of Extracurricular Activities via Social Networking Sites: A Case Study of Artificial Intelligence Learning at a Secondary School in Hong Kong

During the COVID-19 pandemic, attending after-school activities now becomes a luxury to students, which used to establish interests, friendships and social networks in an informal setting. Students lost contact with peers and teachers and were forced to attend blended courses at home, which may constitute threats to their non-academic issues, especially social needs and mental health of the most vulnerable students. This article overviews a new interpretation of extracurricular activities (ECAs) to teach artificial intelligence (AI) via a social networking site (SNS) among junior secondary school students in Hong Kong. A three-stage action research with the use of semi-structured interviews, motivational surveys and lesson observation was conducted. Based on how students perceived such pedagogical changes, the teachers employed various strategies to transform the “after-school” activities online. The investigation presented the planning processes on how to transform the informal learning activities to an online mode via SNSs that can reach the roles of ECAs in schooling. Our study indicated that meaningful activities rely on teachers’ leading role to build a collaborative social media environment in order to facilitate social engagement among students