Web mathematics anyone?

The World Wide Web has had an impact on many areas of teaching and learning. Mathematics teaching however has only recently begun to utilise and develop this educational resource. This paper outlines a research program, which aims to uncover the extent the Internet, in particular the World Wide Web, is being used for High School mathematics education. The program includes searching out discernible Web-based teaching strategies and examining their impact on mathematics teaching and learning attitudes and achievements. Of particular interest is the extent to which deployment of the Web in mathematics teaching might increase student interest in mathematics. The first step in thisprocess is to develop a preliminary typology of mathematical elements on the Web. The nature of these elements, their categorisation and their possible roles in the teaching and learning of mathematics are discussed.<br /

Teaching 3-D geometry - the multi representational way

Sonja Kalbitzer and Esther Loong provide an excellent range of activities that promote geometric thinking through the exploration of three-dimensional objects. They also provide some discussion on assessing the tasks and providing student feedback

Using web-based mathematical interactive exercises and exploratory investigations : the possibilities and pitfalls

This case study looks at how a teacher used interactive exercises and exploratory investigations to reinforce concepts that have been learnt in a Year 8 Mathematics class. It highlights the practical problems faced by the teacher in terms of technical issues such as slow download times and logging on problems as well as class management issues. The findings are discussed in the light of the teacher&rsquo;s mediation with the affordances of the Internet.<br /

Web-based mathematics : student perspectives

This paper presents the results of a survey conducted with students (N=97) whose teachers have used the Web in their mathematics classes. The survey looked at students&rsquo; attitudes towards learning mathematics and their responses to the use of the Internet for learning mathematics. Factor analyses were used to determine the constructs that underlie the survey. Indices formed were used to explore their relationships with each other and with other variables. Interview findings were able to support and lend insight into some of these results

Students\u27 and teachers\u27 use of ICT in primary mathematics

This paper reports on the findings of a research project that investigated the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Primary mathematics in an urban and rural network. Surveys and semi structured interviews were held to obtain insight into teachers&rsquo; and students&rsquo; perceptions and attitudes towards the usage of ICT in the teaching and learning of mathematics. The presentation will highlight the findings and include a discussion on the types of ICT that students use in and out of school to learn mathematics

An educational durian? Issues in teacher education in international collaboration

This paper looks at an international collaborative project in teacher education between Malaysian Institutes of teacher training and an Australian university from the perspectives of four of the participants. Two of the stories are from participants who are co-ordinating aspects of the collaboration, and two stories come from participants who were involved closely in the curriculum and teaching aspects of the program. These personal stories reveal that international collaborative projects are indeed like the durian: there are both good and bad aspects. Our differing roles in the program allow us to provide rich insights into such an international collaboration that we believe will be of benefit to others attempting similar projects.<br /

A primary teacher\u27s developing understanding of mathematical reasoning

To support teachers in their quest to incorporate reasoning as a mathematical proficiency as espoused in the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics, a professional learning research project using demonstration lessons was carried out. This paper reports on the impact of demonstration lessons on one participating teacher&rsquo;s pedagogical knowledge about reasoning. The growth in this teacher&rsquo;s knowledge was analysed using a phenomenographic framework established to evaluate teachers&rsquo; development in mathematical reasoning. The results show that demonstration and subsequent trial lessons contributed to her growth

Web-based mathematics : some \u27dos\u27 and \u27don’ts\u27

This case study describes an &ldquo;out of field&rdquo; teacher&rsquo;s use of the Internet to teach a range of mathematical topics in a modified Year 8 mathematics class. It highlights the importance of three factors for implementing a discernible web-based teaching strategy: appropriate choice of web objects,effective &ldquo;virtual&rdquo; pedagogy, and technical support and expertise. Based on these findings, a framework is suggested for constructing an effective teaching strategy to support the use of virtual resources in the actual mathematics classroom.<br /