Single Sex Mathematics Classes: A Critical Analysis of the Impact at aSecondary School

Single sex classes have recently been emphasized as an effective way to promote mathematics learning. Despite their popularity, the research on the effectiveness of such programs is mixed underscoring the need for additional research and discussion. This research is set in one of the twenty-five largest public school systems in the United States, where schools have recently been allowed to begin instructional initiatives with same sex classes in mathematics. Preliminary data on the effectiveness of one program will be highlighted. Achievement data, compared to traditional classes, will be considered to demonstrate the academic effectiveness of the project. Qualitative data analysis will provide a rich description of the affective issues relative to this innovation. The current project will be framed in critical analysis of the research literature and will discuss the potential benefits and disadvantages both from this current project and from the related literature

The Learning of Mathematics for Limited English Proficient Learners:Preparation of Doctoral Level Candidates

Across the United States, there is a growing number of students for whom English is not their first language. These students experience many challenges adjusting to new educational environments. These students are often denied access to the full curriculum in mathematics (Reyes & Fletcher, 2003) and the resulting opportunities for higher level educational experiences in mathematics and the resulting higher economic employment options. Educators need support in understanding and responding to the linguistic and cultural challenges that these students face in learning mathematics. A course entitled Language, Culture, Mathematics and the LEP Learner is part of the doctoral courses available to Curriculum and Instruction students at UNC Charlotte. The course focuses on theoretical and applied models of teaching and learning mathematics for English as Second Language Learners. Research and current practice are reviewed with an emphasis on the design, implementation, and assessment of instruction for this population of learners. A qualitative analysis of students’ final research projects using narrative analysis methodologies showed that students (1) position issues within a larger sociocultural framework (2) advocate for the negotiation of pedagogical principles that blend language learning strategies with effective mathematics pedagogy and (3) identify assessment policies and processes that are supportive and limiting for these learners

The Learning of Mathematics for Limited English Proficient Learners: Preparation of Doctoral Level Candidates

Abstract Across the United States, there is a growing number of students for whom English is not their first language. These students experience many challenges adjusting to new educational environments. These students are often denied access to the full curriculum in mathematics (Reyes & Fletcher, 2003) and the resulting opportunities for higher level educational experiences in mathematics and the resulting higher economic employment options. Educators need support in understanding and responding to the linguistic and cultural challenges that these students face in learning mathematics. A course entitled Language, Culture, Mathematics and the LEP Learner is part of the doctoral courses available to Curriculum and Instruction students at UNC Charlotte. The course focuses on theoretical and applied models of teaching and learning mathematics for English as Second Language Learners. Research and current practice are reviewed with an emphasis on the design, implementation, and assessment of instruction for this population of learners. A qualitative analysis of students' final research projects using narrative analysis methodologies showed that students (1) position issues within a larger sociocultural framework (2) advocate for the negotiation of pedagogical principles that blend language learning strategies with effective mathematics pedagogy and (3) identify assessment policies and processes that are supportive and limiting for these learners

Research in Mathematics Educational Technology: Current Trends and Future Demands

This systematic review of mathematics educational technology literature identified 1356 manuscripts addressing the integration of educational technology into mathematics instruction. The manuscripts were analyzed using three frameworks (Research Design, Teacher Knowledge, and TPACK) and three supplementary lenses (Data Sources, Outcomes, and NCTM Principles) to produce a database to support future research syntheses and meta-analyses. Preliminary analyses of student and teacher outcomes (e.g., knowledge, cognition, affect, and performance) suggest that the effects of incorporating graphing calculator and dynamic geometry technologies have been abundantly studied; however, the usefulness of the results was often limited by missing information regarding measures of validity, reliability, and/or trustworthiness

A Survey of Mathematics Education Technology Dissertation Scope and Quality: 1968–2009

We examined 480 dissertations on the use of technology in mathematics education and developed a Quality Framework (QF) that provided structure to consistently define and measure quality. Dissertation studies earned an average of 64.4% of the possible quality points across all methodology types compared to studies in journals that averaged 47.2%. Doctoral students as well as their mentors can play a pivotal role in increasing the quality of research in this area by attending to the QF categories as they plan, design, implement, and complete their dissertation studies. These results imply that the mathematics education research community should demand greater clarity in its published papers through the preparation of their own manuscripts and how they review the works of others.Keywords: Dissertations, Mathematics Education, Technology, Quality Framework, Research Qualit

Plenary Address: Language and Mathematics, A Model for Mathematics in the 21 st Century

"Human language and thought are crucially shaped by the properties of our bodies and the structure of our physical and social environment. Language and thought are not best studied as formal mathematics and logic, but as adaptations that enable creatures like us to thrive in a wide range of situations" (Feldman, 2006, p. 7). Language and Mathematics: A Complex Symbiotic for Learning In order to know how to use this language correctly requires an integrated knowledge of multiple facets of communicative competence and mathematical knowledge. Walshaw and Anthony Explicating a Model Language and competence in mathematics are not separable. The model that is presented in this paper [See (2) Heuristic methods, i.e., search strategies for problem analysis and transformation (e.g., decomposing a problem into subgoals, making a graphic representation of a problem) which do not guarantee, but significantly increase the probability of finding the correct solution. (3) Meta-knowledge, which involves knowledge about one's cognitive functioning (metacognitive knowledge; e.g., knowing that one's cognitive potential can be developed through learning and effort), on the one hand, and knowledge about one's motivation and emotions (metavolitional knowledge; e.g., becoming aware of one's fear of failure when confronted with a complex mathematical task or problem), on the other hand. (4) Positive mathematics-related beliefs, which include the implicitly and explicitly held subjective conceptions about mathematics education, about the self as a learner of mathematics, and about the social context of the mathematics classroom. (5) Self-regulatory skills, which embrace skills relating to the self-regulation of one's cognitive processes (metacognitive skills or cognitive self-regulation; e.g., planning and monitoring one's problem-solving processes), on the one hand, and skills for regulating one's volitional processes/activities (metavolitional skills or volitional self-regulation; e.g., keeping up one's attention and motivation to solve a given problem), on the other hand. (p. 20-21)