Does the use of Information and Communication Technology through the use of Realistic Mathematics Education help kindergarten students to enhance their effectiveness in addition and subtraction?

The purpose of this research is to answer the question if and how information and communications technology (ICT) combined with the Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) helps kindergarten students to enhance their effectiveness in addition and subtraction. Our research compares the level of mathematical competence of the students taught using our ICT oriented learning method which specifically takes advantage of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) for the concept of addition and subtraction, as opposed to traditional teaching methodology. The study dealt with kindergarten students in the city of Crete Rethymno, who were divided into two groups (experimental and control) during the school year 2012-13. The experimental group consisted of 165 students who were taught addition and subtraction with the support of computers and RME. There were 170 students in the control group which were not exposed to the computer oriented curriculum. Students in both groups were pre-tested and post-tested for their mathematical achievement. The educational software consisted of math activities, designed following the background of realistic mathematics education and more specifically that of the learning teaching trajectory for the domain of addition and subtraction. The results of the research support a positive correlation between kindergarten children’s early numeracy competence and the integration of computers in teaching and learning addition and subtraction based on Realistic Mathematics Education

Does the use of Information and Communication Technology through the use of Realistic Mathematics Education help kindergarten students to enhance their effectiveness in addition and subtraction?

The purpose of this research is to answer the question if and how information and communications technology (ICT) combined with the Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) helps kindergarten students to enhance their effectiveness in addition and subtraction. Our research compares the level of mathematical competence of the students taught using our ICT oriented learning method which specifically takes advantage of Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) for the concept of addition and subtraction, as opposed to traditional teaching methodology. The study dealt with kindergarten students in the city of Crete Rethymno, who were divided into two groups (experimental and control) during the school year 2012-13. The experimental group consisted of 165 students who were taught addition and subtraction with the support of computers and RME. There were 170 students in the control group which were not exposed to the computer oriented curriculum. Students in both groups were pre-tested and post-tested for their mathematical achievement. The educational software consisted of math activities, designed following the background of realistic mathematics education and more specifically that of the learning teaching trajectory for the domain of addition and subtraction. The results of the research support a positive correlation between kindergarten children’s early numeracy competence and the integration of computers in teaching and learning addition and subtraction based on Realistic Mathematics Education

Comparing Tablets and PCs in teaching Mathematics: An attempt to improve Mathematics Competence in Early Childhood Education

The present study investigates and compares the influence of using computers and tablets, in the development of mathematical competence in early childhood education. For the implementation of the survey, we conducted a 14 weeks intervention, which included one experimental and one control group. Children in both groups were taught Mathematics according to Greek curriculum for early childhood education in conjunction with the use either of the same educational software, which depending on the group, were running on computers or on tablets. In order to evaluate the mathematical performance of children we used the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (TEMA-3). The sample consisted of 256 children in Greece. The results showed that, teaching with tablets comparatively to teaching with computers has contributed significantly to the development of children’s mathematical ability to a greater extent. Moreover, factors such as gender and age did not seem to differentiate the development of mathematical competence of children

Comparing Tablets and PCs in teaching Mathematics: An attempt to improve Mathematics Competence in Early Childhood Education

The present study investigates and compares the influence of using computers and tablets, in the development of mathematical competence in early childhood education. For the implementation of the survey, we conducted a 14 weeks intervention, which included one experimental and one control group. Children in both groups were taught Mathematics according to Greek curriculum for early childhood education in conjunction with the use either of the same educational software, which depending on the group, were running on computers or on tablets. In order to evaluate the mathematical performance of children we used the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (TEMA-3). The sample consisted of 256 children in Greece. The results showed that, teaching with tablets comparatively to teaching with computers has contributed significantly to the development of children’s mathematical ability to a greater extent. Moreover, factors such as gender and age did not seem to differentiate the development of mathematical competence of children

Interactive technologies for preschool game-based instruction: Experiences and future challenges

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Entertainment Computing. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Entertainment Computing, vol. 17 (2016). DOI 10.1016/j.entcom.2016.07.001.[EN] According to current kindergarten curricula, game play is an important basis for children development and it is the main driving force when designing educational activities during early childhood. This paper presents a review of the current state of the art of game technologies that support pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children development. Moreover, the most emergent technologies for developing educational games for preschool children are identified and a set of future challenges are discussed. The main goal of this work is to review the state of the art in interactive technologies which will help educators, game designers and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) experts in the area of game-based kindergarten instruction. 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.This work received financial support from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and funded by the European Development Regional Fund (EDRF-FEDER) with the project TIN2014-60077-R (SUPEREMOS). This work is also supported by a predoctoral fellowship within the FPU program from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports to V. Nacher (FPU14/00136) and from GVA (ACIF/2014/214) to F. Garcia-Sanjuan.Nácher-Soler, VE.; García Sanjuan, F.; Jaén Martínez, FJ. (2016). Interactive technologies for preschool game-based instruction: Experiences and future challenges. Entertainment Computing. 17:19-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2016.07.001S19291

Functional outcomes in symptomatic versus asymptomatic patients undergoing incisional hernia repair: Replacing one problem with another? A prospective cohort study in 1312 patients

Background: Incisional hernias can be associated with pain or discomfort. Surgical repair especially mesh reinforcement, may likewise induce pain. The primary objective was to assess the incidence of pain after hernia repair in patients with and without pre-operative pain or discomfort. The secondary objectives were to determine the preferred mesh type, mesh location and surgical technique in minimizing postoperative pain or discomfort. Materials and methods: A registry-based prospective cohort study was performed, including patients undergoing incisional hernia repair between September 2011 and May 2019. Patients with a minimum follow-up of 3–6 months were included. The incidence of hernia related pain and discomfort was recorded perioperatively. Results: A total of 1312 patients were included. Pre-operatively, 1091 (83%) patients reported pain or discomfort. After hernia repair, 961 (73%) patients did not report pain or discomfort (mean follow-up = 11.1 months). Of the pre-operative asymptomatic patients (n = 221), 44 (20%, moderate or severe pain: n = 14, 32%) reported pain or discomfort after mean follow-up of 10.5 months. Of those patients initially reporting pain or discomfort (n = 1091), 307 (28%, moderate or severe pain: n = 80, 26%) still reported pain or discomfort after a mean follow-up of 11.3 months postoperatively. Conclusion: In symptomatic incisional hernia patients, hernia related complaints may be resolved in the majority of cases undergoing surgical repair. In asymptomatic incisional hernia patients, pain or discomfort may be induced in a considerable number of patients due to surgical repair and one should be aware if this postoperative complication

The use of ICT in kindergarten for teaching addition based on realistic mathematics education

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Profiling the attitudes of Greek kindergarten teachers towards computers

15 Halama