Search

The purposes of this study are to report current Preservice Teachers' (PTs) decimal abilities regarding the types of error patterns that they commit and to analyze characteristics of the errors in the problems posed for multiplication and division in decimals. We have determined common concept- and procedure-based errors made by the PTs. 37 PTs in the USA were asked to complete two decimal multiplication problems and two decimal division problems. Results indicated that four major types of error patterns could be detected: Misunderstanding of the place value, misunderstanding of mathematical equivalence, arithmetic errors, and reversing the positions of divisor and dividend. PTs were more likely to have concept- than procedure-based errors. This indicates that PTs may have limited knowledge on the definition of decimals and the meaning of mathematical equivalence, as well as a lack of understanding of place value. Consequently, we believe that the learning of the concept of decimals requires conceptual change. The concept-based errors found intersect with those of students in primary school, so this helps Teacher Education programs in ways that promote PTs' mathematical understanding of decimal operations on a conceptual basis to prevent their future students from making errors.

In recent years, mathematics classrooms in the U.S. and around the world have seen an increasing integration of educational robotics with interest from both students and teachers. Through their robotics coding activities, students in the present study discovered the concepts of special angle pairs in geometry--namely, complementary and supplementary angles--as they learned to navigate the immediate feedback from the robot Sphero SPRK+ into a trial-and-error mathematics problem-solving process. Students' experiences in these three coding activities revealed, to a certain extent, that engaging in reflective play could be shaped into meaningful teachable moments where students could participate in a "doing with learning" pedagogical method using educational robotics. These activities had transferability implications that might afford STEM learning access and opportunities for students to develop not only mathematical reasoning skills, but also problem solving and critical thinking skills operable to a coding environment. This paper presents students' use of educational robotics in a school geometry curriculum setting to demonstrate the possibility that mathematics concepts could be gathered and mastered in a playful and informal manner, and that robotics games and computer coding could be performed and framed in a thoughtful and challenging manner.

A theoretical model of metacognition in complex modeling activities has been developed based on existing frameworks, by synthesizing the reconceptualization of metacognition at multiple levels by looking at the three sources that trigger metacognition. Using the theoretical model as a framework, this multiple-case study explores students' spontaneous metacognitive activities while they collaboratively solve complex mathematical modeling tasks. This study used a series of model-eliciting activities--a type of problem-solving activity in which participants are required to verbalize their thoughts while working within a group--as an authentic method for analyzing verbal metacognitive actions. This study identified the circumstances facilitating or interfering with students' spontaneous metacognitive activities. The findings of the study enrich our understanding of how to design metacognitive learning environments. The current study has the potential to guide teachers, teacher educators, and curriculum developers to create circumstances that support students' spontaneous development of metacognitive abilities. It also has the potential to guide the development of effective instructional methods to integrate these circumstances into existing curricula.

A virtual world was created using the popular sandbox game Minecraft to support the development of preservice teachers' knowledge for teaching mathematics. Preservice teachers explored the virtual world for a geometry activity involving area and volume problems. They then discussed how this integration of technology could support students' effective learning of mathematics in a meaningful way. The findings of the study demonstrated that to a certain extent the Minecraft activity supported the transfer of knowledge from preservice teachers' mathematics content knowledge to their mathematics pedagogical and instructional practice knowledge. Preservice teachers appreciated the usefulness and effectiveness of the Minecraft activity in enhancing the teaching and learning of mathematics by visualizing mathematical concepts in the virtual world. This integration of technology also gave them an opportunity for professional growth. Although this study focuses on preservice teachers' perspectives on the Minecraft activity, the technology integration using Minecraft will also be beneficial for students because it engages them in active and discovery learning.

The purpose of this study is to explore preservice teachers' (PTs') ability to implement multiple strategies using standard algorithms and alternative strategies and to investigate their conceptual knowledge of decimal operations. There were 37 PTs who participated in this study, all of whom attended a mathematics course in the K-8 Teacher Education Program at a mid-western university. These participants were asked to solve the Decimal Knowledge Test (DKT) in multiple ways. A qualitative approach was used to analyze PTs' responses to the problems on the DKT. The results indicated that using standard algorithms, PTs demonstrated higher ability in solving decimal addition, subtraction, and multiplication involving a whole number. Alternative strategies posed difficulties in solving decimal multiplication problems involving two decimals, and division problems. Similarly, when examining operations, showing smooth or difficult translations between the representations, PTs found it difficult to translate representational modes in operations with multiplication involving two decimals, two division problems. The same results were seen when examining PTs' conceptual understanding based on the Lesh Translation Model. The results provide teacher education programs with opportunities to create various instructional approaches involving translations among multiple representations in mathematics methods and content courses.

Games are an everyday part of most students' lives. Games engage students and provide opportunities to foster perseverance in problem solving. When implemented in the mathematics classroom, game-based learning can have similar positive benefits. Students can enjoy mathematics and develop important life skills that will help them in their current and future lives. This article describes two ways that game-based learning can be implemented in the mathematics classroom. Both methods, robotics and escape rooms, engaged students and assisted students with developing mathematical understanding.

Sirtuin1 (Sirt1) is a class III histone deacetylase that regulates a variety of physiological processes, including endothelial function. Caveolin1 (Cav1) is also an important determinant of endothelial function. We asked if Sirt1 governs endothelial Cav1 and endothelial function by regulating miR-204 expression and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Knockdown of Sirt1 in endothelial cells, and in vivo deletion of endothelial Sirt1, induced endothelial ER stress and miR-204 expression, reduced Cav1, and impaired endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation. All of these effects were reversed by a miR-204 inhibitor (miR-204 I) or with overexpression of Cav1. A miR-204 mimic (miR-204 M) decreased Cav1 in endothelial cells. In addition, high-fat diet (HFD) feeding induced vascular miR-204 and reduced endothelial Cav1. MiR-204-I protected against HFD-induced downregulation of endothelial Cav1. Moreover, pharmacologic induction of ER stress with tunicamycin downregulated endothelial Cav1 and impaired endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation that was rescued by overexpressing Cav1. In conclusion, Sirt1 preserves Cav1-dependent endothelial function by mitigating miR-204-mediated vascular ER stress.

Background Engineering: Faculty members should adopt effective pedagogical approaches in order to maximize student learning. The beliefs of faculty members about instructional practice are an important construct in determining what and how they teach. Purpose: This study investigates the effect of faculty members' involvement in model-eliciting activities on their beliefs about classroom instruction. This study is guided by the following research question: How do faculty members' beliefs about teaching, learning, and assessment change through the use of model-eliciting activities (MEAs)? Design/Method: Using a multicase study design, four engineering faculty members from across the United States were studied while they developed, implemented, and assessed MEAs. Data were collected from sources including semistructured interviews about teaching beliefs and practices, a demographics and academic background survey, and biweekly surveys on MEA implementation and beliefs. Yearly interviews were coded using a rubric that classifies beliefs on a scale from instructor-centered to student-centered. Results: Over the course of the three-year study, the beliefs of all four faculty members shifted towards a more student-centered view of teaching. The faculty members indicated that they were able to emphasize teamwork, real-world practice, problem-solving skills, timely feedback, constructed knowledge, communication, active learning, formative assessment, and the discipline of engineering through the use of MEAs. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that developing and implementing MEAs can help both experienced and beginning faculty members change their beliefs toward a student-centered view of instruction.

Author(s): Ajit Vikram [1]; Christopher M Lewarchik [2]; Jin-Young Yoon [1]; Asma Naqvi [2]; Santosh Kumar [1]; Gina M Morgan [1]; Julia S Jacobs [1]; Qiuxia Li [1]; Young-Rae Kim [...]

This paper explores the spillover effect of spatial proximity on international tourism in all 195 countries using data from the World Bank. We use a spatial proximity measure to calculate the number of neighbors that each country has and how the neighboring nations' international tourist arrivals "unintentionally" affect each country's international tourism. We define spatial proximity using both the conventional contiguity measure and the minimum-distance measure (MDM) of proximity: the two closest points between countries on their outer boundaries. By constructing spatial lag models (SLM) and spatial error models (SEM), we capture the spillover effects between neighbors. Our findings suggest that a country's international tourism flows over the period of 1995–2019 are strongly influenced by international tourist arrivals to the nation's neighboring countries; ranging from 8.1% to 45.8%, depending on the model used. Particularly, the spillover effect was more prominent for the period from 2015–2019, as compared to 1995–1999, implying increasing dependence among neighboring countries in international tourism, which directly contrasts the common assumption that technology is making geographic distance less relevant. This paper provides several important implications for both scholars and practitioners, although further study is required to determine the effects of historical interactions and spatial relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]