Integrating mathematics and science to explain socioscientific issues in educational comics for elementary school students

Integrating socioscientific issues (SSI) into education is gaining widespread adoption in classrooms due to its positive impact on student’s critical thinking, environmental awareness, holistic knowledge and/ or the idea of combining science and mathematics. This paper explores the idea of using comics as appropriate media for elementary school students to engage with SSI content. Because of the difficulties in integrating SSI into classrooms, SSI-based learning is more commonly applied in high school and higher education settings, with limited implementation in earlier education. To answer this gap, we developed comics that have SSI content for elementary schools. Comics are chosen as reliable tools for visualising and simplifying complex concepts and making SSI content more accessible and engaging. This paper describes our comics on earthquake related issues in Indonesia and the principles that guided its design. SSI inherently involves multiple perspectives, so the integration brings together science, and mathematics within the one comic. In integrating different disciplines of comic content, we utilised the rule-of-five framework, widely employed to merge five representational models (experiential, verbal, numerical, visual, and symbolic) commonly used in developing content combining two or more different academic disciplines

Using Global Learning to Enhance the Preparation of Elementary Teachers in the Teaching of Mathematics and Science: What we Learned?

Structured reflections and metacognitive thinking of elementary teacher education students provide powerful opportunities for students’ self-efficacy growth, and the development of both mathematics and science related pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Guided student-instructor reflections were already a part of an integrated mathematics and science methods class for preservice elementary teachers. A global learning dimension was added to further develop the reflective practice through cross-cultural discussions between students, as well as faculty, with their counterparts at a collaborating overseas university. The discussions were conducted using e-mail and were guided by a series of questions upon which students were to reflect with their 'e-mate’. The pilot of this project revealed problems with the establishment of dependable communication between the students. It also revealed the need for a more structured communication process, more guidance for students in online etiquette, and reconsideration of how students would be assessed for global learning activities

Creativity, Change and Innovation: Geometry as Art in Preservice Teachers Classroom

It is vital for preservice teachers to experience innovative and creative mathematics learning and teaching if they are to be successful in their future classrooms. The Geometry as Arts project was a vehicle to explore some mathematical ideas in an elementary preservice teachersâ classroom. This presentation is a qualitative probing slice of a longitudinal study concerned with pre-service teacher beliefs, values, and attitudes toward kinds of pedagogical approaches that engage mathematics learners and lead to desirable outcomes.Non UBCUnreviewedAuthor affiliation: Wichita State UniversityFacult

Global perspectives of science education: Successes and challenges of a pilot project

This paper describes a pilot global learning project, which linked Australian preservice primary students teachers with their counterparts in the US. In the context of globalization and with the rapid development of the world wide web, greater understanding of other cultures and practices has become a priority. To address this issue, the study was conducted with approximately sixty Australian students in the second or third year of their primary Bachelor of Education course studying a Science Curriculum unit. These students were matched with a cohort of third year undergraduate preservice elementary student teachers from a university in the United States studying an integrated mathematics science methods course. Over a six week period the students e-mailed each other weekly and attempted to learn about primary / elementary science education in both countries. The project was monitored over the six-week period and carefully evaluated at the end. A number of valuable insights were obtained from the evaluation data and these are discussed. Important lessons gained from the initial pilot project will be used to enhance and shape the future directions of providing global perspectives for primary preservice student teachers

Google Earth: Mathematical Art Forms

Abstract We trace the development of Google Earth and consider various artifacts, natural and anthropogenic, ancient and modern. These artifacts are only obvious from high elevations and some have a mathematical form and artistic appeal. We also illustrate how Google Earth's high-altitude imagery can be fruitful inspiration for mathart and provide some example

Global Learning Technology: Developing Pre-Service Elementary Teachers' Reflective Practice through Cross-Cultural Exchanges

This paper reports on the initial implementation of a global learning project. The primary objective of the project was to develop in students a broader, cultural perspective through co-reflection with an e-mate in sister classes at a collaborating overseas institution. The experience was designed to provide a cross-cultural environment for structured reflection and metacognitive thinking in which preservice elementary education students examined their beliefs about teaching and learning mathematics and science

From Kansas to Queensland: Global learning in preservice elementary teacher education

Communication of information between groups of humans has been extended through out history progressing from smoke signals, drum beats, message couriers, post, telegraph, telephone and now the ICT. The time between the utterance of a message and the reception of that message has progressively decreased. We are now able to communicate relatively cheaply, simultaneously sharing and responding to ideas and thoughts on a scale never previously possible. Although the technology exists to make possible easy access to people in all parts of the world, we still lack understandings of the aspirations and sensitivities of other cultures with whom we can communicate. This project supported pre-service elementary teachers in two countries – Australia and the United States – to engage in collaborative learning through Internet communications. The purpose of the project was to develop greater understanding of other’s cultures, and practices in teaching elementary students. Students attending an Australian preservice primary science methods course were matched with a cohort of undergraduate preservice elementary student teachers from a university in the United States studying an integrated mathematics science methods course. Over a six-week period the students engaged in the computer-mediated communication and were encouraged to learn about mutual cultural practices and primary/elementary science education in both countries. The outcomes demonstrated that students involved in the project benefited from an array of different and enriching learning experiences. Students benefited through enhanced understanding of the teaching of science and an appreciation of the common problems confronting science education in both countries. However, there was little engagement in debate or discussion of individual differences and the cultural context of each other’s country even when opportunities presented themselves. Nevertheless, the on-line tasks provided the pre-service teachers with the experience and confidence to engage their own students in similar global learning initiatives when they become teachers