From beliefs to dynamic affect systems in mathematics education : exploring a mosaic of relationships and interactions

This book connects seminal work in affect research and moves forward to provide a developing perspective on affect as the "decisive variable" of the mathematics classroom. In particular, the book contributes and investigates new conceptual frameworks and new methodological ‘tools’ in affect research and introduces the new field of ‘collectives’ to explore affect systems in diverse settings. Investigated by internationally renowned scholars, the book is build up in three dimensions. The first part of the book provides an overview of selected theoretical frames - theoretical lenses - to study the mosaic of relationships and interactions in the field of affect. In the second part the theory is enriched by empirical research studies and provides relevant findings in terms of developing deeper understandings of individuals’ and collectives’ affective systems in mathematics education. Here pupil and teacher beliefs and affect systems are examined more closely. The final part investigates the methodological tools used and needed in affect research. How can the different methodological designs contribute data which help us to develop better understandings of teachers’ and pupils’ affect systems for teaching and learning mathematics and in which ways are knowledge and affect related

Design Science and Design Research: The Significance of a Subject-Specific Research Approach

Considering mathematics education as a DESIGN SCIENCE has strong roots in Germany. E. Ch. Wittmann in particular contributed to the establishment of this approach. From a DESIGN SCIENCE perspective, substantial learning environments play a crucial role. They comprise mathematical tasks which are connected in an operative way, indicative of a specific epistemological structure. In such substantial learning environments, students are actively immersed in learning mathematics, and the learning environments allow for the pursuit of individual and differentiated learning processes. In this chapter, we first address the scope of Design Science and pay attention to characteristics of the learning environments and how teaching experiments can be conducted.We then focus on key ideas and their role as a design principle. In the next section, we provide a comprehensive example of designing a learning environment. Lastly, we shift our attention to the Design Research approach, which complements designing substantial learning environments by empirically studying the initiated learning processes to gain evidence for both theoretical considerations and design principles

Uses of technology in lower secondary mathematics education : a concise topical survey

This topical survey provides an overview of the current state of the art in technology use in mathematics education, including both practice-oriented experiences and research-based evidence, as seen from an international perspective. Three core themes are discussed: Evidence of effectiveness; Digital assessment; and Communication and collaboration. The survey’s final section offers suggestions for future trends in technology-rich mathematics education and provides a research agenda reflecting those trends. Predicting what lower secondary mathematics education might look like in 2025 with respect to the role of digital tools in curricula, teaching and learning, it examines the question of how teachers can integrate physical and virtual experiences to promote a deeper understanding of mathematics. The issues and findings presented here provide an overview of current research and offer a glimpse into a potential future characterized by the effective integration of technology to support mathematics teaching and learning at the lower secondary level