Designing a programming-based approach for modelling scientific phenomena

We describe an iteratively designed sequence of activities involving the modelling of 1- dimensional collisions between moving objects based on programming in ToonTalk. Students aged 13-14 in two settings (London and Cyprus) investigated a number of collision situations, classified into six classes based on the relative velocities and masses of the colliding objects. We describe iterations of the system in which students engaged in a repeating cycle of activity for each collision class: prediction of object behaviour from given collision conditions, observation of a relevant video clip, building a model to represent the phenomena, testing, validating and refining their model, and publishing it ? together with comments ? on our web-based collaboration system, WebReports. Students were encouraged to consider the limitations of their current model, with the aim that they would eventually appreciate the benefit of constructing a general model that would work for all collision classes, rather than a different model for each class. We describe how our intention to engage students with the underlying concepts of conservation, closed systems and system states was instantiated in the activity design, and how the modelling activities afforded an alternative representational framework to traditional algebraic description

Review article: the human intestinal virome in health and disease

Background: The human virome consists of animal-cell viruses causing transient infections, bacteriophage (phage) predators of bacteria and archaea, endogenous retroviruses and viruses causing persistent and latent infections. High-throughput, inexpensive, sensitive sequencing methods and metagenomics now make it possible to study the contribution dsDNA, ssDNA and RNA virus-like particles make to the human virome, and in particular the intestinal virome. Aim: To review and evaluate the pioneering studies that have attempted to characterise the human virome and generated an increased interest in understanding how the intestinal virome might contribute to maintaining health, and the pathogenesis of chronic diseases. Methods: Relevant virome-related articles were selected for review following extensive language- and date-unrestricted, electronic searches of the literature. Results: The human intestinal virome is personalised and stable, and dominated by phages. It develops soon after birth in parallel with prokaryotic communities of the microbiota, becoming established during the first few years of life. By infecting specific populations of bacteria, phages can alter microbiota structure by killing host cells or altering their phenotype, enabling phages to contribute to maintaining intestinal homeostasis or microbial imbalance (dysbiosis), and the development of chronic infectious and autoimmune diseases including HIV infection and Crohn's disease, respectively. Conclusions: Our understanding of the intestinal virome is fragmented and requires standardised methods for virus isolation and sequencing to provide a more complete picture of the virome, which is key to explaining the basis of virome-disease associations, and how enteric viruses can contribute to disease aetiologies and be rationalised as targets for interventions

Bridging Primary Programming and Mathematics: some findings of design research in England

In this paper we present the background, aims and methodology of the ScratchMaths (SM) project, which has designed curriculum materials and professional development (PD) to support mathematical learning through programming for pupils aged between 9 and 11 years. The project was framed by the particular context of computing in the English education system alongside the long history of research and development in programming and mathematics. In this paper, we present a “framework for action” (diSessa and Cobb 2004) following design research that looked to develop an evidence-based curriculum intervention around carefully chosen mathematical and computational concepts. As a first step in teasing out factors for successful implementation and addressing any gap between our design intentions and teacher delivery, we focus on two key foundational concepts within the SM curriculum: the concept of algorithm and of 360-degree total turn. We found that our intervention as a whole enabled teachers with different backgrounds and levels of confidence to tailor the delivery of the SM in ways that can make these challenging concepts more accessible for both themselves and their pupils

Building mathematical knowledge with programming: insights from the ScratchMaths project

The ScratchMaths (SM) project sets out to exploit the recent commitment to programming in schools in England for the benefit of mathematics learning and reasoning. This design research project aims to introduce students (age 9-11 years) to computational thinking as a medium for exploring mathematics following a constructionist approach. This paper outlines the project and then focuses on two tensions related to (i) the tool and learning, and (ii) direction and discovery, which can arise within constructionist learning environments and describes how these tensions were addressed through the design of the SM curriculum

Коллективизация и азербайджанское село

This chapter argues that there are contrary views regarding the mathematical needs of employees in workplaces, and this results in confusion around debate on the issue. The problem has been exacerbated by the ubiquity of information technologies and the widespread automation of routine procedures, which have resulted in little if any trace of the mathematical processes going on. Following a short survey of research in the field, we summarize recent research that has identified a particular difficulty in terms of widespread pseudo-mathematical interpretation of symbolic output in workplaces. Such interpretations are shown to impede communication, but can be challenged by developing relevant techno-mathematical literacies among employees. Effective strategies for developing techno-mathematical literacies relevant to specific work sectors are described

Techno-mathematical literacies in the workplace: a critical skills gap

There has been a radical shift in the mathematical skills required in modern workplaces. With the ubiquity of IT, employees now require Techno-mathematical Literacies, the mastery of new kinds of mathematical knowledge shaped by the systems that govern their work. The education system does not fully recognise these skills, employees often lack them, and companies struggle to improve them. This project has developed prototype learning resources to train a variety of employees in the mathematical awareness and knowledge that today?s employment require

Mathematics and digital technology: challenges and examples from design research

Mathematics is a ubiquitous and vital substrate on which our culture is built. Yet this fact is seldom fully exploited in educational contexts. The first step must, in our view, be to open the black box of invisible mathematics to more people, (see Hoyles, 2015). A key challenge for task design and an organising design principle is to exploit digital technology to reveal more of what mathematics actually is; first, by offering a glimpse of the mathematical models underlying a given (and carefully chosen) phenomenon; and second, by fostering an approach to mathematical tasks that transcends the purely procedural. We describe in this paper how we have attempted to address these challenges

Microworlds, Constructionism and Mathematics = Micromundos, Construccionismo y Matemáticas

En este artículo, esbozamos la idea del construccionismo y cómo puede ser puesta en práctica a través del diseño de “micromundos”, islas aisladas y accesibles de actividad, dónde se encuentren pepitas de conocimiento relevante a través de herramientas y secuencias de actividades especialmente diseñadas y con pedagogías adecuadamente orientadas. En la segunda parte del artículo, describimos el diseño, implementación y evaluación de una intervención construccionista, ScratchMaths, introducida en Inglaterra, país en el que la computación es obligatoria para todos los niveles educativos (de los 5 a los 16 años). Este estudio de caso pone de manifiesto la tensión entre la fidelidad de una innovación al implementarla y su adaptación por parte de los profesores, especialmente en el contexto de las matemáticas, la cuál es una materia muy exigente tanto para los docentes como para los alumnos

Beyond jam sandwiches and cups of tea: An exploration of primary pupils' algorithm‐evaluation strategies

The long-standing debate into the potential benefit of developing mathematical thinking skills through learning to program has been reignited with the widespread introduction of programming in schools across many countries, including England where it is a statutory requirement for all pupils to be taught programming from five years old. Algorithm is introduced early in the English computing curriculum, yet, there is limited knowledge of how young pupils view this concept. This paper explores pupils’ (aged 10-11) understandings of algorithm following their engagement with one year of ScratchMaths (SM), a curriculum designed to develop computational and mathematical thinking skills through learning to program. 181 pupils from six schools undertook a set of written tasks to assess their interpretations and evaluations of different algorithms that solve the same problem, with a subset of these pupils subsequently interviewed to probe their understandings in greater depth. We discuss the different approaches identified, the evaluation criteria they used and the aspects of the concept that pupils found intuitive or challenging, such as simplification and abstraction. The paper ends with some reflections on the implications of the research, concluding with a set of recommendations for pedagogy in developing primary pupils’ algorithmic thinking