Search

The positive relationship between students' attitudes toward mathematics and mathematics achievement is well documented. Yet there is a worsening problem of low appeal of mathematics especially at the secondary level. Therefore, in this paper we focus on three high school students who report a strong dislike of mathematics. By analyzing student surveys, interviews, and lesson observation data, we examined how some mathematical lessons improved these students' experiences (i.e., their aesthetic dimensions). We found that while student preferences varied, each student was interested in lessons that centered them as sense-makers and in which the content unfolded with suspense. Such lessons led to positive aesthetic responses such as surprise, curiosity, and satisfaction. Thus, lessons can be designed in which even students with the most negative views of mathematics can find mathematical concepts interesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students studying geometry at the secondary level are expected to read diagrams in different ways than those in elementary school. In this paper, we present an analysis of the changes in diagrammatic expectations by comparing the geometric diagrams found in Grade 1 U.S. textbooks with those in U.S. high school geometry textbooks. This work included developing and using a coding scheme that recognizes dimensions of reading a diagram geometrically, including the type of object represented, use of deduction, use of mental redrawing, interpretation of markings, and the necessity of the diagram. The way in which elementary and secondary students are expected to interpret diagrams was shown to change along several of these dimensions, posing potential learning barriers for students. We end our paper with a discussion of what our results mean for the learning of geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the curricular redesign efforts of one high school mathematics department seeking to respond to high failure rates in low level mathematics courses that are disproportionately populated by students of color. I outline the aids and challenges encountered by the department and examine the resulting course structure and its likelihood to promote more students to take advanced level mathematics courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article I examine a new course offering at an urban high school, Climate Justice Algebra, to determine if the course is Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP). I examine the tensions between academic success (grade level mathematics learning) and climate justice learning found during two tasks administered to the class. I consider the antagonism between covering grade level mathematics standards and engaging students in Culturally Relevant tasks when melding the two practices together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thompson (2015) proposed that a productive mathematical meaning is one that prepares students for future learning and lends coherence to extant meanings. We propose that a productive mathematical meaning related to expanding algebraic expressions and factoring polynomials revolves around developing an understanding of structural relationships between (binomial) factors and polynomials. We briefly outline a combinatorial approach to support a productive mathematical meaning for expanding and factoring relationships. We then report on our analysis of four Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 textbooks as we investigated their approaches to these topics. Our findings suggest that significant work on curricular development is needed to support productive mathematical meanings in this domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reviews how slope is developed in expository materials across a seven-textbook series. Slope development is analyzed using a framework of five slope components to describe which components are used and connected, and by investigating accompanying levels of covariational reasoning. Findings suggest that the series describes slope from multiple components, and this development is grounded in various levels of covariational reasoning. While many connections were found between components, occurrences of both visual and nonvisual approaches within components were not prevalent. Suggestions include building connections between Behavior Indicator and Determining Property components through descriptions of covariation as well as more connections to the Steepness component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the presence of instructional technology in secondary mathematics classrooms increases, the need for teacher resources supporting its use becomes of greater importance. Mathematics textbooks are one resource that teachers rely on for instruction, so it is important to know how they support teachers in this regard. We analyzed a nationally representative sample of 20 high school textbooks, including integrated/non-integrated and conventional/investigative curricula, to compare the level of technology integration and the types of technology utilized. Findings indicate a relatively low percentage of tasks integrating technology, and that calculators are the predominant technology within this sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our modern information age societies that are drenched in data, statistical literacy is a crucial literacy for citizens to be able to actively engage in their society and government. Statistical literacy is intended to be developed through the instruction of statistics concepts in school mathematics classrooms. However many mathematics teachers have little to no prior experience with statistics, which means many teacher need to draw upon resources to help teach statistics concepts one of which is their textbooks. The objective of this study is to investigate what contextualized situations are available for students for the use of statistics by two major high school mathematics textbook series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the intersection between high school and college, is the mathematical knowledge students have learned enough to ensure their future mathematics success? This study looks at the expectations gap or the disconnect between what students know leaving high school and the actual knowledge and skills they need to be successful in college from the perspectives of high school teachers, college instructors, and remedial college mathematics students. Survey data from the high school and college instructors revealed agreement on seven of the top ten most important skills for student success. Remedial students' survey and interview data indicated they view their remedial placement as beneficial, yet identified the procedural emphasis of their high school teaching as contrary to how they best learn mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most existing measures of mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) assume a unidimensional structure and report scores that reflect the "amount" of MKT possessed by each examinee. These measures aggregate scores on MKT items that each tap different kinds of teacher work (e.g., explaining concepts, using representations) and different curricular topics. Although this approach is useful for some purposes, the author argues that a new way of conceptualizing measures of MKT will be more useful for gathering data to address open questions about MKT. A review of existing measures is used to argue that conceptualizing measures of MKT in terms of underlying components has promise for building MKT theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates secondary mathematics teachers’ knowledge of rate of change in the context of teaching a Standards-based high school mathematics curriculum, The Core-Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP): concept images and concept definitions of rate of change, mathematical content knowledge of rate of change, and pedagogical content knowledge of rate of change. In this study, "knowledge of rate of change" is restricted to the ideas in the context of algebra and functions. This study includes an investigation into qualitative differences between teachers who are experienced using CPMP versus those who are less experienced using the same materials. To explore possible contributions made by the curriculum materials to the knowledge teachers possess, 15 teachers were chosen to represent different levels of experience with CPMP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of the Study The study of statistics is gaining momentum at the high school level. The College Entrance Examination Board has established an Advanced Placement Statistics course for high school that is growing rapidly in terms of numbers of students (College Entrance Examination Board, 2003). The National Science Foundation has funded the development of curricula that integrate data analysis with the teaching of topics in mathematics (Hirsch, Coxford, Fey, & Schoen, 1998; Alper, Fraser, Fendel, & Resek, 1998). As initiatives such as these become more widespread, it is incumbent upon the research community to continue to investigate and describe the statistical thinking of high school students, since knowledge of students’ thinking can help inform instruction (Fennema & Franke, 1992; Even & Tirosh, 2002). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes a case study of the geometric thinking of 12 ninth grade geometry students in the U.S. The study used the 1996 twelfth grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in order to determine students' thinking. The results showed that the participants shifted to explanations at lower van Hiele levels when they were pressed to discuss their thinking geometric tasks.

The article discusses a study on the accessibility of the high school curriculum under the Core-Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP) funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The study applied a framework that was used in the evaluation of textbooks across different disciplines. It analyzed the potential of the framework's dimensions to affect the accessibility of problems from the perspectives of students.

The article discusses a study which examined the learning experiences of highly mobile, marginalized youth in the U.S. who received direct instruction. The study utilized an analytic framework to determine the mathematical empowerment of students. It highlighted a Mexican American high school student's experiences of curricular structures in her classrooms.

This study explored the decisions students make when they select a grade 10 mathematics course and in how they choose to succeed within a mathematics course. Quantitative data was analyzed from a population of 400 students, while interviews conducted with a subset yielded to phenomenographic interpretation. Identity formation was central to students' choice of academic or non-academic mathematics courses, while keeping the credentialing of courses in view. Student intentions within a course generally fell into two categories: studenting and learning. In conversation with students, we discovered a need to distinguish between learning mathematics and learning to learn mathematics. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]