8 results
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2. Bridging Language Barriers in Statistics for Year-12 Pasifika Students: A Collaborative Study
- Author
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Sharma, Sashi
- Abstract
This paper focuses on the use of home languages as a resource for Pasifika students who are learning about statistical methods. It is acknowledged that there are connections between language use and mathematics in mathematics learning and teaching, and the potential challenges this issue can pose have been investigated by researchers. Yet how the challenges of the use of home language versus teaching language might be overcome in statistics classrooms, where language is even more important as a medium of instruction, has received very little scrutiny. This article reports on research carried out in three New Zealand largely Pasifika dominated Year-12 classes. Data was collected from audio recordings of student group discussions and teacher reflections while students were carrying out an investigation of existing datasets. Findings from the teacher reflection aspect of the study indicate that teachers can struggle with how to use home language and real-life contexts to maximise learning in their classroom. Some strategies to incorporate students home language in their learning worked better than others. However, more in-depth research is needed to explore language issues and the barriers they might present in statistics education.
- Published
- 2018
3. Respectful and Responsive Pedagogies for Mathematics and Statistics
- Author
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Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Averill, Robin, and Clarke, Megan
- Abstract
Teacher respect, important within culturally responsive practice, has seldom been explored in relation to mathematical pedagogy. Our study involving interviews, surveys, and lesson videos with Year 12 and 13 New Zealand mathematics students and teachers indicated specific pedagogical behaviours are important for demonstrating respect for students and their learning. Respectful teachers provide opportunities for mathematical decision-making, follow chains of reasoning with individuals, and sensitively guide next learning steps. Implications for practice include knowing individuals' learning needs and prioritising one-to-one interactions.
- Published
- 2013
4. Significant Statistics: Viewed with a Contextual Lens
- Author
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Tait-McCutcheon, Sandi
- Abstract
This paper examines the pedagogical and organisational changes three lead teachers made to their statistics teaching and learning programs. The lead teachers posed the research question: What would the effect of contextually integrating statistical investigations and literacies into other curriculum areas be on student achievement? By finding the significance of statistics nested within mathematics and other curriculum learning areas, the teachers increased their own value of statistical content and contexts and this impacted positively on the statistical achievement outcomes of their students. (Contains 6 tables and 2 figures.)
- Published
- 2010
5. Enhancing Students' Inferential Reasoning: From Hands-On to 'Movies'
- Author
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Arnold, Pip, Pfannkuch, Maxine, Wild, Chris J., Regan, Matt, and Budgett, Stephanie
- Abstract
Computer simulations and animations for developing statistical concepts are often not understood by beginners. Hands-on physical simulations that morph into computer simulations are teaching approaches that can build students' concepts. In this paper we review the literature on visual and verbal cognitive processing and on the efficacy of animations in promoting learning. We describe an instructional sequence, from hands-on to animations, developed for 14 year-old students. The instruction focused on developing students' understanding of sampling variability and using samples to make inferences about populations. The learning trajectory from hands-on to animations is analyzed from the perspective of multimedia learning theories while the learning outcomes of about 100 students are explored, including images and reasoning processes used when comparing two box plots. The findings suggest that carefully designed learning trajectories can stimulate students to gain access to inferential concepts and reasoning processes. The role of verbal, visual, and sensory cues in developing students' reasoning is discussed and important questions for further research on these elements are identified. (Contains 12 figures and 1 table.)
- Published
- 2011
6. Telling Data Stories: Essential Dialogues for Comparative Reasoning
- Author
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Pfannkuch, Maxine, Regan, Matt, Wild, Chris, and Horton, Nicholas J.
- Abstract
Language and the telling of data stories have fundamental roles in advancing the GAISE agenda of shifting the emphasis in statistics education from the operation of sets of procedures towards conceptual understanding and communication. In this paper we discuss some of the major issues surrounding story telling in statistics, challenge current practices, open debates about what constitutes good verbalization of structure in graphical and numerical summaries, and attempt to clarify what underlying concepts should be brought to students' attention, and how. Narrowing in on the particular problem of comparing groups, we propose that instead of simply reading and interpreting coded information from graphs, students should engage in understanding and verbalizing the rich conceptual repertoire underpinning comparisons using plots. These essential data-dialogues include paying attention to language, invoking descriptive and inferential thoughts, and determining informally whether claims can be made about the underlying populations from the sample data. A detailed teacher guide on comparative reasoning is presented and discussed. (Contains 4 figures.)
- Published
- 2010
7. From Lessons to Lectures: NCEA Mathematics Results and First-Year Mathematics Performance
- Author
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James, Alex, Montelle, Clemency, and Williams, Phillipa
- Abstract
Given the recent radical overhaul of secondary school qualifications in New Zealand, similar in style to those in the UK, there has been a distinct change in the tertiary entrant profile. In order to gain insight into this new situation that university institutions are faced with, we investigate some of the ways in which these recent changes have impacted upon tertiary level mathematics in New Zealand. To this end, we analyse the relationship between the final secondary school qualifications in Mathematics with calculus of incoming students and their results in the core first-year mathematics papers at Canterbury since 2005, when students entered the University of Canterbury with these new reformed school qualifications for the first time. These findings are used to investigate the suitability of this new qualification as a preparation for tertiary mathematics and to revise and update entrance recommendations for students wishing to succeed in their first-year mathematics study. (Contains 3 tables, 5 figures and 2 notes.)
- Published
- 2008
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8. Comparing Box Plot Distributions: A Teacher's Reasoning
- Author
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Pfannkuch, Maxine
- Abstract
Drawing conclusions from the comparison of datasets using informal statistical inference is a challenging task since the nature and type of reasoning expected is not fully understood. In this paper a secondary teacher's reasoning from the comparison of box plot distributions during the teaching of a Year 11 (15-year-old) class is analyzed. From the analysis a model incorporating ten distinguishable elements is established to describe her reasoning. The model highlights that reasoning in the sampling and referent elements is ill formed. The methods of instruction, and the difficulties and richness of verbalizing from the comparison of box plot distributions are discussed. Implications for research and educational practice are drawn. (Contains 3 figures.)
- Published
- 2006
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