ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Time Limitations in NAPLAN Numeracy Tests
Author: Carter, Merilyn
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Evidence,Test Items,Numeracy,Time Factors (Learning),Foreign Countries,Data Analysis,Middle Schools,Secondary School Students,Mathematics Instruction,Secondary School Mathematics

Is the time allowed for National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) numeracy tests sufficient? Is there any evidence that students run out of time and, if so, what are the implications for teachers who prepare students for NAPLAN numeracy tests? In each of the 2010 Years 7 and 9 numeracy tests students were required to complete 32 test items in 40 minutes, an average of 75 seconds per question. Norton (2009, p. 28) noted that time limitations were an issue in the 2008 Year 9 NAPLAN numeracy tests, but did not seek to examine their effect. In this paper, the author analyses the available quantitative student test response data to examine whether there is evidence of a timing issue for students. There are indications that some students may not have had sufficient time to show what they could do in the 2010 Year 7 and 9 NAPLAN numeracy tests. Despite limitations of the lack of data available to this study, there is enough evidence to alert all schools that lack of time in Year 7 and 9 NAPLAN numeracy tests could be a concern for some students. (Contains 2 tables and 2 footnotes.)
Encouraging Meaningful Engagement with Pictorial Patterning Tasks
Author: Samson, Duncan
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Algebra,Mathematics Instruction,Teaching Methods,Educational Strategies,Learner Engagement,Visual Stimuli,Mathematics Activities,Investigations,Task Analysis,Pattern Recognition,Global Approach,Higher Education

Pattern generalisation has become an important feature of mathematics classrooms around the globe. Sometimes these activities focus purely on given numerical terms, but the use of pictorial or figural patterns is now becoming part of the standard repertoire for such generalisation exercises. From a pedagogic point of view, the investigation of pictorial patterns potentially allows for a meaningful way of arriving at and exploring algebraically equivalent expressions of generality. Although the presentation of generalisation tasks is an important aspect in terms of how students are likely to engage with such exercises, this is not the only consideration to be taken into account. Teachers still need a toolbox of pedagogical strategies which they can draw on to encourage visual engagement with the pictorial context. What this article contains is such a toolbox of strategies that teachers can draw on to encourage visual engagement with patterning activities presented in a pictorial context. (Contains 8 figures.)
Lesson Study on the Area of a Parallelogram for Year 7 Students
Author: Hoong, Leong Yew
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Secondary School Mathematics,Mathematics Instruction,Identification,Design,Teaching Methods,Geometric Concepts,Grade 7,Geometry

This article describes a lesson study on the area of a parallelogram for year 7 students. In Singapore, students in secondary schools are streamed into ability bands. Normal (Academic) is the label for the middle band. The teachers were convinced that Lesson Study provided a valuable platform for professional development. The authors followed the key steps of the Lesson Study process as delineated by a number of writers. These steps include: (1) identifying the problem and setting goals; (2) designing the lesson of focus; (3) teaching, observing, and refining; and (4) sharing of results. As a Lesson Study team, the authors focused on the topic of Mensuration and subsequently zoomed-in further to the lesson on &quot;area of parallelogram&quot; as the Lesson of focus. They discuss their experiences in teaching the topic &quot;Area of Parallelogram&quot;, especially the difficulties they faced in helping their students understand how to derive the formula &quot;base x height&quot;. In the Singapore context, &quot;height&quot; is taken to mean &quot;perpendicular height&quot;. The aim of this paper is to share the learning experiences of the team as they underwent the Lesson Study process. (Contains 6 figures.)
You Are Never Too Late to Learn... or Teach
Author: Brinkworth, Peter
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Stimulation,Student Attitudes,Adult Basic Education,Adult Learning,Adult Students,Student Motivation,Mathematics Instruction,Teacher Educators,Teacher Retirement,Lecture Method,Mathematics Teachers,Personal Narratives,Foreign Countries

The author became aware that there are hundreds of retired teachers in the community who want to continue to learn, or at least to have their intellect stimulated. Some join clubs or read books or do crosswords or even surf the net when they retire, but these folks wanted to be stimulated with some mathematics. The author was initially surprised that any group of people let alone retired teachers actually wanted someone to talk to them from that subject about which most people boast of their ignorance (even abhorrence). After completing a series of sessions that talk about an aspect of mathematics to fellow retirees at the College for Seniors, the author realised that adult learners and retired ones are more than willing to continue to learn mathematics for its own sake as a source of intellectual stimulation. He points out that retiring from teaching is not the end of a meaningful engagement with mathematics.
Working without a Safety Net
Author: Foster, Colin
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Teachers,Science Instruction,Interdisciplinary Approach,Mathematics Teachers,Mathematics Instruction,Knowledge Base for Teaching,Teaching Methods,High Schools,Secondary School Students,Foreign Countries,Teacher Attitudes

A science teacher has the advantage of hooking learners with all their senses: flashes, bangs and smells. The science labs are something that many learners at the start of secondary school (high school) are eager to explore, and when there is an open day at school it feels unfair that the mathematics department has to try to compete for excitement with the liquid nitrogen and explosions on display in the science area. The author argues that there is nothing wrong with being a science teacher, but school science teaching is full of restrictions. On the contrary, mathematics teachers are lucky because they do not have to be a control freak in the classroom. What the author loves about teaching mathematics is that learners can explore without permission--no teacher needs to impede their thinking by fencing off areas and telling them they are too young or too inexperienced or too clumsy to go there. The author loves the way that learners of mathematics can take control and come to conclusions that they &quot;know&quot; are right, not because someone tells them so but because they have reasoned it out for themselves. (Contains 4 figures.)
Diversions: Hilbert and Sierpinski Space-Filling Curves, and beyond
Author: Gough, John
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Geometric Concepts,Calculus,Mathematics Instruction,Mathematics Education,Grade 9,Secondary School Mathematics,Foreign Countries,Mathematics Teachers,Computer Uses in Education

Space-filling curves are related to fractals, in that they have self-similar patterns. Such space-filling curves were originally developed as conceptual mathematical &quot;monsters&quot;, counter-examples to Weierstrassian and Reimannian treatments of calculus and continuity. These were curves that were everywhere-connected but nowhere-differentiable (or some similar paradoxical combination of conditions): that is, there were no breaks in the curves, but they were so extremely and discontinuously wiggly that ordinary differentiation did not apply to them. Moreover, they showed that a &quot;line&quot;--specifically a &quot;curve&quot;, rather than a &quot;straight line&quot;--could fill two-dimensional space. As early as 1940, the great mathematics popularisers Kasner and Newman discussed the Koch snowflake, the anti-snowflake, and bizarre space-filling &quot;curves&quot; as examples of what Kasner and Newman called &quot;pathological&quot; shapes. Pathological, because the two-dimensional snowflake curve, for example, is contained within a finite area but is itself infinitely long, while the three-dimensional counterpart is a space-filling curve that is infinitely long and completely fills a finite volume.  The author offers a few suggestions for materials to read about the great &quot;popularisers&quot; of mathematics.
Greek or Not: The Use of Symbols and Abbreviations in Mathematics
Author: Quinnell, Lorna
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Test Items,Symbols (Mathematics),Numeracy,Mathematics Instruction,Teaching Methods,Algebra,Anxiety,Student Attitudes,Program Effectiveness,Foreign Countries,Secondary School Mathematics

The language of mathematics is unique and complex. One feature of the mathematical register is the use of symbols and abbreviations. Whilst it may be possible for a student to think mathematically in the absence of symbols, the written communication of mathematical ideas cannot be achieved concisely without the use of mathematical symbols. Further, it is possible that the fear and dislike of algebra can be attributed to the failure to understand fully the symbols inherent in this area of mathematics. This paper examines some of the complexities of the symbolic aspects of mathematical language, where possible using the 2010 National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) (ACARA, 2010) numeracy test items as examples. The paper begins by clarifying the meaning of mathematical symbols and abbreviations. (Contains 1 table.)
A Study of School Size among Alabama's Public High Schools
Author: Lindahl, Ronald A.
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High Schools,School Size,Average Daily Attendance,Grade 11,Public Schools,Standardized Tests,Correlation,Educational Quality,Scores,Socioeconomic Status,Reading Achievement,Mathematics Achievement,Access to Computers,Teacher Qualifications,Educational Attainment,Expenditure per Student,Educational Finance,Taxes,Dropout Rate,Extracurricular Activities,Educational Environment

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the size of Alabama's public high schools, selected school quality and financial indicators, and their students' performance on standardized exams. When the socioeconomic level of the student bodies is held constant, the size of high schools in Alabama has relatively little relationship with 11th grade student (both regular and special education) performance on the reading and math portions of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE). High schools' average daily attendance rates and pupil-to-computer (and computer with Internet connections) ratios do not vary in accordance with school size. Higher percentages of highly qualified teachers are found in Alabama's largest high schools. There was very little difference in the percentage of teachers with a master's degree or above across school size categories. Very little difference exists across size categories in regard to mean expenditures per pupil (range = $7,322 to $7,829). However, districts of the large high schools exert over twice the effort of those with small high schools (3.2 mills to 1.5 mills) and approximately 50 percent greater local effort than the districts of the medium-size high schools. (Contains 13 tables.)
Unexpected Realities: Lessons from China's New English Textbook Implementation
Author: Niu-Cooper, Rui
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Textbooks,Research Methodology,Social Action,Conflict,Foreign Countries,Educational Policy,English (Second Language),Language Teachers,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Futures (of Society),Ethnography

Although studies have been done in China's large cities on education policy issues, research is lacking on China's smaller towns, which are more indicative of the situations throughout China. This article presents lessons learned from studying Chinese English teachers at four different schools that were adopting new English textbooks, in accordance with revised national education policy. Using conflict theory and social action theory as an analytical lens, and combining ethnographic and naturalistic inquiry as research methods, the article reports on the conflicts that the Chinese English teachers confronted as they were adopting the new English textbooks at the classroom level. Analysis of the implementation conflict resulted in lessons learned related to the influence of the traditional cultural and education structures, the impact of policy implementation contexts, and the availability of support systems for teachers. The lessons indicate that future education policymakers in both China and the United States need to be mindful of obstacles that teachers struggle to overcome when implementing new policies. (Contains 2 notes and 1 chart.)
Juggling Educational Ends: Non-Indigenous Yukon Principals and the Policy Challenges that They Face
Author: Blakesley, Simon
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Field Trips,Ethnography,Accountability,Principals,Educational Policy,Indigenous Populations,Foreign Countries,Curriculum,Time Factors (Learning),Educational Administration,American Indians,Administrator Attitudes,Educational Legislation

This article reports on a 2008 study of non-indigenous principals working in indigenous Yukon contexts. It examines the policy contexts in which Yukon principals are embedded, giving attention to how they address the tensions that exist as a result of operating at the intersections of multiple policy levels. The application of critical ethnography generates the opportunity to reveal and examine the tensions, distinctions, and contradictions underpinning their practice. The principals identify fragmented curricular policy; the competition between instructional time, mandated external curricula, and locally developed curricula; and field trip and hiring policies as being problematic. The principals also describe how they cope with the challenges and tensions that arise as a result of being responsible and accountable to balance competing educational ends, to the satisfaction of multiple external levels of control. The study calls for a re-evaluation of the deployment of externally mandated curricula in the Yukon.
Making a Difference: Application of SoTL to Enhance Learning
Author: McKinney, Kathleen
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Change Strategies,Educational Strategies,Instructional Improvement,Learning Strategies,Learning Theories,Teaching Methods,Social Change,Student Participation,Research Projects,Research Needs,Teacher Collaboration,Knowledge Management,Communities of Practice,Scholarship,Educational Practices,Aptitude Treatment Interaction

In this essay, I remind readers of the importance of using SoTL work in a range of ways and settings at different levels to increase our impact on student learning as well as institutional and disciplinary cultures. I briefly discuss and illustrate six strategies already in use on which we can build. (Contains 3 footnotes.)
Graduate Student Development through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Author: Schram, Laura N.
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Students,Scholarship,Labor Market,Student Development,Graduate Surveys,National Surveys,Student Research,Measures (Individuals),Employment Interviews

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) can be a valuable tool in preparing graduate students as future faculty. Yet, graduate students are often warned that the academic job market does not value SoTL research. We present results of a survey of current and former graduate students who conducted SoTL research. Respondents overwhelmingly perceived positive reactions to their SoTL work while on the academic job market, and reported that SoTL played an important role in their professional development. These findings have important implications for those who seek to encourage graduate student involvement in the scholarship of teaching and learning. (Contains 3 tables and 7 figures.)
How Evaluation Processes Affect the Professional Development of Five Teachers in Higher Education
Author: Shagrir, Leah
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: College Faculty,Faculty Development,Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Attitudes,Higher Education,Interviews,Questionnaires,Mentors,Scholarship,Beginning Teachers,Experienced Teachers

This paper presents research that investigates the nature of the connection between the professional development of five teachers in higher education and the evaluation processes they have to undergo. Since teaching, scholarship, and service are the three components that evaluation measures, this research examines how the teachers' professional development was reflected in these components, and how they viewed the connection between their professional activities and the evaluation process. One conclusion states that while the evaluation process is intimidating and taxing, it develops the skills for the teaching component. The contribution stems principally from a mentoring channel, which enables teachers to receive counseling and guidance from experienced veteran colleagues. Mentoring encourages the teachers and prompts them to seek advice, study, scrutinize their work methods, and improve the quality of their teaching. Another conclusion reveals that during the first years of work in higher education, evaluation was not found to influence activity in the scholarship and service components. The evaluation requirements notwithstanding, the extent of the activity in these components was limited and non-intensive as a result of the teachers' focus on teaching. Professional development deepens and expands as seniority increases and confidence in one's teaching abilities grow. Despite the limited scale of the study, the research conclusions may serve as recommendations for institutions of higher education to consider providing a mentoring channel for the teachers who are in their first years of academic work. Furthermore, institutions should demonstrate flexibility vis-a-vis the extent and depth of such individuals' activity in scholarship and services when evaluating them. Another recommendation is to encourage institutions to take into account the advantages of veteran teachers, and the fact that professional activities deepen and expand as seniority increases. (Contains 1 table and 2 footnotes.)
A Course Redesign Project to Change Faculty Orientation toward Teaching
Author: Eliason, Susan
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Skills,Adjunct Faculty,Curriculum Implementation,Program Implementation,Outcomes of Education,Curriculum Development,Program Development,Coaching (Performance),Change Strategies,Educational Strategies,College Faculty,Faculty Development,Instructional Effectiveness,Program Descriptions,Teacher Orientation

This article discusses the development, implementation, and outcomes of a Faculty Course Redesign Camp for full-time and adjunct faculty members. The purpose of the camp was to educate and coach faculty in effective strategies to promote learner-centered teaching skills. Evaluation results show that the participants changed their orientation toward teaching in the dimension of their role in instruction, but they made little change in balance of power and responsibility for learning. (Contains 3 tables.)
Innovative Teaching and Technology in the Service of Science: Recruiting the Next Generation of STEM Students
Author: McNally, Thomas
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Change,Scientific Literacy,Educational Researchers,STEM Education,Informal Education,Nonformal Education,Science Teachers,Career Choice,High School Students,Middle School Students,Educational Innovation

This article examines innovative approaches to augmenting science lessons taught in middle and high school, with special emphasis on the importance of the early teen years, when experiences both in and out of school have significant impact on career decisions. This is a reflective essay on the recent work of science educators and educational researchers hoping to increase science literacy in American students and inspire them to choose STEM careers. The creativity and breadth of the techniques discussed have important implications for the way in which student teachers are prepared within college secondary education programs.
Mentor and Protege Goal Orientations as Predictors of Newcomer Stress
Author: Fullick, Julia M.
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Mentors,Individual Characteristics,Goal Orientation,Predictor Variables,Supervisor Supervisee Relationship,Stress Variables,Student Adjustment,College Freshmen,Peer Counseling,Stress Management,Hypothesis Testing,Measures (Individuals),Peer Relationship

Although many academic organizations offer formal mentoring programs, little is known about how individual characteristics of peer mentors and their proteges interact to reduce new-student stress. First-year college students participated in a peer-mentoring program designed to reduce stress. The results of this study demonstrated that proteges who received greater psychosocial and career support showed greater stress reduction. Additionally, proteges with a higher avoid performance goal orientation showed lesser stress reduction. Mentor avoid performance goal orientation was positively associated with stress reduction for proteges high on avoid performance goal orientation, but negatively associated for those low on avoid performance goal orientation. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)
International Teaching Assistants' Experiences in Educational Cultures and Their Teaching Beliefs
Author: Gorsuch, Greta
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching Styles,Initial Teaching Alphabet,Foreign Countries,Teaching Experience,Educational Experience,Teaching Assistants,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Foreign Students,Teacher Attitudes,Sample Size,Questionnaires,Bachelors Degrees,Native Language,Knowledge Base for Teaching

In the early heyday of ITA education, English as a second language (ESL) educators played a key role in defining three basic learning needs for ITAs: Language, teaching, and culture. Of this model, culture is the most broadly defined and least developed component. It was predicted by some, apparently on the basis of nationality, that ITAs would have trouble interacting with U.S. undergraduates because of different ideas about teacher and student roles, and unfamiliarity with &quot;interactive&quot; teaching styles. The current study revisited an earlier study by the author on the intersections between educational cultures of ITAs, with the purpose of further investigating salient aspects of individual ITAs' educational experiences (teaching experience, etc.), and how these experiences mediated ITAs' teaching beliefs at the outset of their teaching careers at the university where the study took place. The current study went further by conceptualizing ITA &quot;nationality&quot; as a context for possible educational experiences, and by exploring this variable with a larger sample size (N = 202) in which questionnaire responses of ITAs who had earned their bachelor's degrees in China, India, Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey, or the U.S.A. (international students earning their degrees in the U.S.A.) could be considered. Results suggested that these differences might be partly explained by whether ITAs had opportunities, either in the L1s or L2s, to develop procedural knowledge with teaching. This research supports proposes a central role for development of language and procedural knowledge for ITA adaptation to their professional roles in U.S. higher education. (Contains 3 tables.)