Evaluation of the implementation process of a new mathematics curriculum for Grades 1-­‐9: A discussion of the main results

Recently, a new Mathematics curriculum for basic education (Grades 1-9) has been introduced in the Portuguese educational system. This curriculum was designed to bring together some disperse curricular documents and to substitute the former one that was being used since the early 90s. But, above all, the new curriculum was aimed at providing a more sustained development of students’ mathematical learning based upon recent international recommendations for mathematics teaching and learning. The new curriculum implementation was strongly supported by a special designed programme aimed at providing scientific and pedagogical support to all teachers of Grades 1-9 throughout all the schools of the country. Before its generalization to all basic education schools of the country, the new curriculum had been put into practice by 40 teachers of the different grade levels for a three-year period. These teachers had the opportunity to attend a number of workshops and to share their experiences in a variety of contexts. In fact, they functioned as a true network, working in close collaboration. Besides they were also in touch with the authors of the new curriculum to insure that it was put into practice according to the authors’ proposal. At the same time the Ministry of Education appointed a team of three mathematics educators to conduct a three-year evaluation study of the whole process of implementation of the new curriculum. An overview of this evaluation study will be presented: Besides, teachers’ classroom practices as well as the ideas they shared through their collaborative work, will be also presented and discussed. This discussion will illustrate some of the features of the new curriculum. As a matter of fact, data seem to suggest that some improvements are already visible, namely regarding students’ attitudes and competences and teachers’ practices. Tasks selected and used by the teachers, teaching strategies they used, and students’ work on those tasks will also be presented and analysed

Editorial: re-visioning teaching and learning with technology in mathematics: selected papers from ICTMT12

This paper introduces a special journal issue presenting selected papers from the 12th International Conference on Technology in Mathematics Teaching (ICTMT12), hosted by the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Algarve, in the city of Faro, from 24-27 June 2015. With the overall theme of re-visioning teaching and learning with technology in mathematics, the papers in the special journal issue offer insights into the range of possibilities for the integration of technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics at the upper secondary and tertiary levels of education (including in teacher education). The insights cover teachers' knowledge for teaching mathematics with technology (KTMT), an adaptation of the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) theoretical framework, an ‘embodied’ approach to the convergence of numerical sequences using GeoGebra, and examples of how GeoGebra can be used to explore complex functions. Such insights are an important part of re-visioning teaching and learning mathematics with technology

Práticas de Ensino e de Avaliação numa Instituição do Ensino Superior: Uma Discussão Acerca das Representações de Professores e Alunos

Research has revealed extremely significant results as: a) systematic practices of formative assessment improve the students’ learning; b) students with more difficulties have great benefits of these practices (Black & William, 1998). These results are relevant if we attend to high levels of failure and dropout of higher education students in Portugal. The study of representations of teachers and students about teaching and assessment permit to characterize and sustain teaching and assessment practices establishing relationships with learning. Concerning the implications on teaching and assessment, it´s important identifying if conceptions and practices are consistent or not among themselves. Thus, for conceptualize change planes related with teaching and assessment practices, it would be necessary to know deeply what teachers and students think and make on these domains. This study makes part of a broader research in which, we wanted to understand the relationship among knowing, representations and experiences of teachers with their practices and learning promotion. For this study, we analyzed the results of a questionnaire, to understand the representations of teachers and students in the teaching, assessment and learning domains. The survey used a Likert-Type scale and it was organized into four areas: a) teaching-learning-assessment environment; b) teaching; c) learning and d) assessment

The graphing calculator as an instrument of semiotic mediation in the construction of the function concept

UID/CED/02861/2016According to some authors, the graphing calculator facilitates the students' ability to reflect and generalize, when involved in performing exploratory tasks, leading them to the construction of mathematical knowledge (Doorman, Drijvers, Dekker, Heuvel-Panhuizen, Lange e Wijers, 2007). We present the resolution of the task: "My hand", with the graphing calculator, whose purpose was to consolidate the concept of function and to understand when a cartesian graph corresponds to the representation of a function. On the other hand, looking at the artifact, the graphing calculator, as a instrument of semiotic mediation, we intend to analyze how the transition from personal meanings to mathematical meanings (Mariotti, 2018) was developed, in the resolution of the task.publishersversionpublishe

The instrumental genesis in the demonstration of the pythagorean theorem

publishersversionpublishe

Promoting mathematics’ teaching through hands-on science experiments

This work is supported by national funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology in the context of the project UID/CED/02861/2016.publishersversionpublishe

Technology as a resource to promote mathematics teaching

PTDC/CED-EDG/32422/2017This paper aims to show how a range of technologies may be used as a resource to promote mathematics teaching. This study occurred in the framework of a STEM Continuing Professional Development Programme targeted to in-service primary school teachers. In this study we use a qualitative methodology and an interpretative approach by means of a case study. We conclude that technological resources enable the development of mathematical tasks appropriate for the primary school syllabus, that motivate students to learn this subject matter.publishersversioninpres

Understanding COVID_19 pandemic with STEM education

FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., PTDC/CED-EDG/32422/2017

Promoting mathematics teaching in the framework of STEM integration

PTDC/CED-EDG/32422/2017A growing number of studies and reports all over the world refer to the importance of integrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), in order to meet the increasing challenges of the 21st Century. In particular, STEM education can be an innovative way of learning and teaching mathematics. But, despite recommendations to relate these subjects, there is lack of research about STEM integration and there is the need of more empirical research about this subject. This paper presents an empirical study about the development and implementation of mathematical interdisciplinary tasks related to STEM integration in the context of primary school teachers Continuing Professional Development. With a qualitative methodology and an interpretative approach based on a case study, findings of our research show that it is possible to promote the teaching of mathematics in the framework of STEM integration by supporting teachers in the development and implementation of interdisciplinary tasks.publishersversionpublishe

An augmented reality application to engage students in STEM education

This work is supported by national funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, I. P., in the context of the project PTDC/CED-EDG/32422/2017This paper proposes a Mobile Augmented Reality application to engage students in STEM education. With a design research methodology, the SolarSystemGO game, initially designed to promote learning about our Solar System, is being developed by undergraduate higher education students supervised by higher education teachers from a Portuguese polytechnic. After several cycles of implementation of the game (design research cycles), which took place over two academic years, we argue that the SolarSystemGO game can be a resource to develop mathematical contents in formal and informal learning environments. Based on our research and experience in the field, we sustain the importance of developing Mobile Augmented Reality games that engage students and motivate them to learn interdisciplinary subject matters adequate to primary school syllabus.publishersversioninpres