Teachers’ views of the challenges of teaching grade 9 applied mathematics in Toronto schools

Mathematics teachers, mathematics department heads, curriculum leaders, and administrators from 11 schools in four school boards from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, participated in a project to improve the teaching and learning in grade 9 mathematics classrooms. In each of these schools, an implementation team was created, so that at least three teachers from every school could collaborate, in order to improve learning outcomes of their students. This article reports on the challenges identified by teachers when they taught grade 9 applied mathematics. Teachers’ views of challenges fell into five main layers: (a) teacher professional development and pedagogical skills, (b) student learning needs, (c) settlement issues and families’ social and economic background, (d) administrative difficulties and resources, and (e) curricular issues. These challenges were complex and interconnected, demanding special remedial efforts by the administration and teachers. By reflecting on the challenges and practices, these teachers made a long-term strategy to engage in professional development activities to better understand their students’ learning needs and to improve their achievement in provincial tests

Design of thermosensitive polymer‐coated magnetic mesoporous silica nanocomposites with a core‐shell‐shell structure as a magnetic/temperature dual‐responsive drug delivery vehicle

A stimuli-responsive nanocomposite with a core-shell-shell structure consisting of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles as core, mesoporous silica as middle shell, and poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (P[NIPAAm-co-AAc]) as an exterior shell with thermo-responsivity properties was synthesized to be used as a magnetic/temperature responsive drug delivery system. The structure, morphology, and size of P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)-coated mesoporous silica embedded magnetite nanoparticles (P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)@mSiO2@Fe3O4) were characterized by XRD, FTIR, and TEM analyses. Also, the heating ability of mesoporous silica-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles, and P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)@mSiO2@Fe3O4 nanocomposites was investigated under the exposure of an alternating magnetic field (AMF). The results indicated that the prepared nanocomposites could generate enough heat for hyperthermia applications. Moreover, the magnetic/temperature-responsive drug release behavior of P(NIPAAm-co-AAc)@mSiO2@Fe3O4 nanocomposites loaded with fluorouracil (5-FU) was studied under the exposure of the AMF (frequency = 120 kHz, and amplitude = 22 kA m−1), as well as two different temperatures (37°C and 45°C). The results showed that only 7.8% of the drug could be released after 20 h at 37°C (below the LCST of the copolymer). In contrast, by increasing the temperature of release medium up to 45°C (above the LCST of the copolymer), the amount of released drug was increased up to 47%. Moreover, by exposing the prepared nanocomposite to a safe AMF, a burst release of drug was observed, indicating the excellent responsivity of the carrier to an external magnetic field. These results proved that the obtained nanocomposite has a great performance to be used as a magnetic/temperature-sensitive drug carrier for advanced drug delivery applications

The effects of teacher collaboration in Grade 9 Applied Mathematics

The current emphasis of many mathematics education reform documents is on the need to change the environment of mathematics classrooms from the transmission of knowledge by the teacher to the transaction of knowledge between the teacher and the students which promotes mathematical investigation and exploration. In this article, we discuss the details of a Collaborative Teacher Inquiry Project which was aimed at increasing the quality of learning of Grade 9 Applied Mathematics, while at the same time, improving professional development opportunities for the teachers. A total of 11 schools participated in this project which spanned over three semesters. Participants included teachers, department heads, curriculum leaders, and administrators. Each school created an implementation team of administrators and teachers to implement collaborative strategies and improve teaching and learning in Grade 9 Applied Mathematics. The main benefit to the participants was that they were able to increase their knowledge and skills through collaboration in six interconnected areas: (a) achieving the goals, (b) student success, (c) professional development, (d) co-planning and co-teaching opportunities, (e) increased communication, and (f) improved technological skills. Bringing in different partners to achieve a common goal was the most challenging aspect of the project