On Mathematics and Culture: Insights from an International School

We explore the factors that influence the relationship between mathematics and culture in the international school context. First, we share some thoughts about international schools in general and the international mathematics curriculum implemented at the middle grades level at our school in particular. Second, we present some interesting snapshots from our culturally-diverse mathematics classrooms

FeTeMM Eğitimi ve Alan Öğretmeni Eğitimine Yansımaları

Reforms in education of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines have been particularly critical for the economic competitiveness of Turkey. There has been some criticism of the reforms at the teacher education level, claiming that Turkish teachers were not prepared to address the needs of their profession. The authors of this article introduced the STEM education model, which was designed with a critical investigation of the previous research on curriculum integration, STEM education, teaching knowledge, and Turkish educational reforms. By focusing on the interaction of mathematics and science, the model emphasized the importance of integrated teaching knowledge to successfully transition from the departmentalized model of teaching to an integrated model that promotes innovation.Fen, Teknoloji, Mühendislik ve Matematik (FeTeMM) ülkemizin uluslararası ölçekte rekabet gücünün korunabilmesi için stratejik öneme sahiptir. Bu alanlarda uzmanlaşacak insan gücünü yetiştirmesi beklenen öğretmenlerimizin çağın gereklerine uygun şekilde eğitilmedikleri konusunda yoğun eleştiriler vardır. Bu makale ile FeTeMM eğitiminin kuramsal bir çerçeve etrafında tanıtılması amaçlanmıştır. Bu amaca yönelik olarak bütünleşik müfredat ve öğretmenlik bilgisi alanlarında ülkemizde ve dünyada yapılmış araştırmalar ile süregelen eğitim reform girişimleri incelenmiştir. Kavramlaştırılan modelin bir çıktısı olan fen ve matematik arasındaki etkileşime yoğunlaşıldığında, öğretmenlerimizin sadece uzman oldukları alanda öğretmenlik bilgisine sahip olmalarının ülkemizin ihtiyacı olan insan gücünü yetiştirmede yeterli olmayacağı sonucuna varılmıştır

Expressed Willingness of STEM Teachers to Teach Engineering

Teaching engineering at the middle and high school levels has been a topic of discussion among scholars regarding the challenges it creates. One of the most critical challenges at the school level is identifying qualified teaching staff to lead engineering courses. The present study explored teachers’ willingness to lead an engineering course and the reasons behind their willingness or unwillingness to do so. The study involved 434 participants, who were enrolled in a STEM professional development program and were diverse regarding their teaching subjects, the grade levels they taught, and the locations of their schools in Turkey. In this mixed-methods study, researchers collected data at the beginning of an online professional development program. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative data were analyzed with a data-driven codebook. Almost two-thirds of the participants were keen to teach an engineering course, yet differences were observed according to the subjects they taught and their professional backgrounds. Most of the mathematics teachers, the group with the highest percentage of willingness, seemed to have a holistic approach towards engineering, with half emphasizing collaboration between teachers and engineers. The study provided further insights into how initial teacher training and continuous professional development programs can be structured based on teacher expectations and needs

Clarifying the relationship between teacher movement and culture

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Need satisfaction as a mediator between classroom goal structures and students' optimal educational experience

Goal-related messages in a classroom are associated with students' experiences and functioning in learning. However, little is known about need satisfaction as a mediator that translates the classroom messages into students' optimal educational experience. In the present studies, we investigated in a sample of 171 (in Study 1) and 255 (in Study 2) Turkish undergraduate students (60% females; M-age = 19.79, SD = 1.68 and 45% females, M-age = 19.75, SD = 1.67 respectively), the relation of classroom goal structures to students' educational satisfaction (or vitality) and state flow through their experience of need satisfaction considering it as the psychological mediator. Path analysis with bootstrap showed that mastery goal structures (i.e., classroom environment focuses on learning and self-improvement) were positively related to need satisfaction while performance goal structures (i.e., classroom environment focuses on normative success) were either negatively related (Study 1) or unrelated (Study 2) to need satisfaction. Path analysis with bootstrap also showed that mastery goal structures were related to vitality, educational satisfaction and flow in class-related tasks through need satisfaction. Understanding need satisfaction as a mediator of classroom goal structures and optimal educational experience help teachers to reconsider their goal-related messages in the classroom

Eğitim ve Bilim Education and Science

Abstract Reforms in education of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines have been particularly critical for the economic competitiveness of Turkey. There has been some criticism of the reforms at the teacher education level, claiming that Turkish teachers were not prepared to address the needs of their profession. The authors of this article introduced the STEM education model, which was designed with a critical investigation of the previous research on curriculum integration, STEM education, teaching knowledge, and Turkish educational reforms. By focusing on the interaction of mathematics and science, the model emphasized the importance of integrated teaching knowledge to successfully transition from the departmentalized model of teaching to an integrated model that promotes innovation

An exploratory study of visually impaired students’ perceptions of inclusive mathematics education

The Turkish Disability Act introduced inclusive education to Turkey as a solution to the problems experienced by students with disabilities, including visually impaired students. The main purpose of this study was to explore the challenges faced by visually impaired students learning high school mathematics in inclusive classrooms in Turkey. The data were qualitative, consisting of interviews conducted with three high school graduates; they were analysed using the constant comparison method. In the interviews, students described the effects of various teaching methods on their learning and evaluated the social aspect (broadly speaking) of inclusive education. The results show that while the social needs of visually impaired Turkish students were adequately met through inclusive education, their academic needs were not, which we speculate to be partly because of mathematics teachers’ negative attitudes towards inclusive education