Search

Our current multicultural societies require that education addresses diversity and promotes cultural awareness and intercultural learning. Mathematics and science education can also contribute to this aspect of citizenship education and create a culture of belonging for all students. Professional development that integrates intercultural learning with educational practices is still uncommon in the field of science and mathematics teacher preparation and support. This study explores the possibilities to support science and mathematics teachers in implementing intercultural learning through a professional development course. The course was developed in a European setting, based on a theoretical analysis, and tried out with 319 teachers from six participating countries. The impact of the course on teachers' take up of intercultural learning was measured with a pre-post questionnaire. We found that the course strengthened teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and extended their teaching practices with opportunities created by cultural diversity among their students or in their subjects. In addition to that, teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and the perceived cultural diversity in class appeared to be influencing factors for teachers' practices. Based on our findings we recommend that the combination of intercultural learning with educational practices of mathematics and science might be a suitable gateway to provide new intercultural learning opportunities for students.

In this paper, we discuss the theoretical background of mathematical modelling and its connection to citizenship education. Citizenship education in this context means that young people are equipped with competencies to respond as responsible citizens in situations relevant for society. To outline the connection between mathematical modelling and citizenship education in theory, we discuss the aims of mathematical modelling, modelling competences and the connection between numeracy and modelling. Based on these reflections we present an extended modelling cycle that specifically highlights modelling steps relevant to citizenship education. To show how the theoretical connection between mathematical modelling and citizenship education can be used in teaching practice, we describe three different examples of modelling tasks and analyse them with the help of the extended modelling cycle. We argue that the three tasks support different learning aims in relation to citizenship education and require modellers to carry out different steps of the extended modelling cycle. As an example of context, we used the pandemic caused by COVID-19, as it affected the quality of human life greatly, as all students in the Western world experienced.

The world is facing severe global challenges such as climate change, food security, rising migration, social justice, or the current corona crisis. In these times, citizenship education seems more important than ever. How can this citizenship education relate to mathematics and science learning? The research project MaSDiV (Supporting mathematics and science teachers in addressing diversity and promoting fundamental values) connected mathematics and science with citizenship education by modeling real-life problems relevant to society. In this paper, we present the foundational design features of the PD course as well the results from the accompanying evaluation of this PD course, which was implemented by partners in six countries to support teachers in connecting mathematics and science education with citizenship education. More specifically, we investigate how participating teachers experienced the PD program; how their self-efficacy beliefs, learning-related beliefs, as well as teaching practices change; and which factors contributed to that change. In order to investigate the outcome of the PD program, we surveyed N = 311 mathematics and science teachers' pre- and post-participation of the PD in six different European countries. Among others, our results show that in general, most participating teachers reported a high overall satisfaction with the course across all six participating countries. They also indicate that teachers' self-efficacy beliefs about using relevant contexts, their learning-related beliefs about the benefits of using contexts, as well as their own teaching practice changed significantly after participating in the MaSDiV PD course.

This paper reports on a professional development activity (PD) for course leaders, which was designed within the European project Primas (2010-13, www.primas-project.eu). Primas aimed at the implementation of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in day-to-day teaching on a large scale. The focus is on the education of mathematics course leaders in Germany, who were all teachers. In order to support them in taking up their role and run courses on (IBL), a course leader seminar following design research was developed. The course aimed at course leaders' learning on two levels: (1) as mathematics teachers about IBL and (2) as course leaders about running PD on IBL. A small scale retrospective interview study gives insights into the needs the participants face when learning about IBL as teachers and when learning as future course leaders. It also illuminates in which way participants took up their role as a course leader. These insights suggest how to optimize the course following design research.

Although well researched in educational studies, inquiry-based learning, a student-centred way of teaching, is far away from being implemented in day-to-day science and mathematics teaching on a large scale. It is a challenge for teachers to adopt this new way of teaching in an often not supportive school context. Therefore it is important to provide high-quality professional development (PD) at a large scale. However, there is little empirical evidence about the effects of scaled-up professional development initiatives. Therefore, this paper presents an international research study for which long-term PD courses have been designed. These courses have been implemented across Europe in twelve different countries at scale by using the so-called "Cascade Model." Here, course leaders are educated, who in turn educate other teachers. The research study aimed at evaluating the overall impact the scaled-up PD had on teachers and at also identifying variables influencing this impact.

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is a more student-centered approach to mathematics teaching that is recommended by many policy and curriculum documents across Europe. However, it is not easy for teachers to change from a more teacher-centered way of teaching to inquiry-based teaching as this involves a change of their role in class. Professional development courses are one way to help teachers with this endeavor. Within the discussion of effective professional development, beliefs are often named as an important influencing factor. In this respect, much research has been carried out on how beliefs on mathematics teaching impact the outcomes of the course. However, there has been much less research on what beliefs mathematics teachers develop on inquiry-based learning and how this might impact their (perceived) classroom teaching. Therefore, this paper presents an international research study carried out within the European Project Primas, in which professional development courses on inquiry-based learning were conducted in 12 countries. Using the case-study approach, this paper aims at answering the following questions: 1. What kind of beliefs about IBL do mathematics teachers across Europe develop? 2. How do these beliefs relate to teachers' perceived enactments of IBL?

In times of rapid technological innovation and global challenges, the development of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) competencies becomes important. They improve the personal scientific literacy of citizens, enhance international economic competitiveness and are an essential foundation for responsible citizenship, including the ethical custodianship of our planet. The latest programme for international student assessment results, however, indicate that even in economically mature countries such as those in Europe, and the USA and Australia, approximately 20% of students lack sufficient skills in mathematics or science. This trend serves to highlight the urgent need for action in relation to STEM education. While it is widely acknowledged that mathematics underpins all other STEM disciplines, there is clear evidence it plays an understated role in integrated STEM education. In this article, we address an element of this concern by examining the role of mathematics within STEM education and how it might be advanced through three interdisciplinary approaches: (1) twenty-first century skills; (2) mathematical modelling; and (3) education for responsible citizenship. At the end of the paper we discuss the potential for research in relation to these three aspects and point to what work needs to be done in the future.

Mathematical and scientific knowledge are integral to preparing our population to be actively engaged and responsible citizens. Science and mathematics education, however, has mainly focused on concepts and skills detached from societal implications. In this paper we present an interdisciplinary international design research study in which we developed teaching and professional development materials connecting mathematics and science education to citizenship education. We outline the design research process, its theoretical basis as well as the design products. The study shows that it is indeed possible to develop such approaches supporting active citizenship and thereby the development of 21st century skills in mathematics education, thus strengthening the role of mathematics education in the STEM field.

This paper addresses a particular aspect of 21st century skills: the potential of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to support students in developing skills for citizenship, life and careers. In this respect, including connections to the world of work in mathematics and science classes seems to be indispensable. Therefore, in this paper we outline the necessity of including such connections in education and the related theoretical background. We then present an international research study of long-term professional development courses involving inquiry-based learning and connections to the world of work. The course was designed on an international level for use in 13 countries and was subsequently implemented in these countries. The results of the pre-post study across all these countries show that such a course can indeed lead to the desired outcomes concerning the teachers and their teaching, but also that these outcomes are associated with teachers' beliefs as well as their perceptions of policy support, classroom management and time issues.

This paper presents an intervention study whose aim was to promote teacher beliefs about mathematics and learning mathematics and student competences in mathematical modeling. In the intervention, teachers received written curriculum materials about mathematical modeling. The concept underlying the materials was based on constructivist ideas and findings from mathematics education. Teacher beliefs about mathematics, learning and self-efficacy were expected to have a major impact on their classroom practices. We therefore assessed teacher beliefs about the usefulness of mathematics, learning (constructivist and socio-constructivist beliefs) and teacher self-efficacy when teaching modeling (teacher or class level variable). The student level variables assessed were modeling competence and other individual factors, such as basic mathematical skills and cognitive abilities. The effectiveness of the intervention was measured in a pre-post control group design using multilevel structural equation modeling. The results showed no direct effect of the intervention on student modeling competence. However, they did reveal that the intervention had a significant effect on teacher beliefs about learning (constructivist and socio-constructivist view) and an effect of these teacher beliefs about learning on student modeling competence. Further, the results showed that students' gains in modeling competence is not only mediated by teacher beliefs, but also influenced by individual factors. Implications for teaching as well as limitations of the study are discussed.

This paper presents an international research study of long-term professional development courses on modelling. It addresses the question of scaling-up professional development. So far, there has been much research on small-scale professional development courses, but we know very little about what it means to scale up such a course and to reach out to large numbers of teachers. Therefore, our study researches the impact of a scaled up professional development course on teachers and their teaching, as perceived by the teachers themselves and their students. The course was designed on an international level for use in 12 countries. The results show that such a course can indeed lead to desired outcomes concerning the teachers and their teaching, and the research therefore adds to our understanding of scaling-up.

This work explores the mathematical modelling capabilities of various iterations of ChatGPT, focusing on their performance across tasks of differing complexity and openness. The study examines the abilities of GPT-3.5, GPT-4.0, and a more instructed version, GPT-MM, in multiple scenarios. It is observed that all versions demonstrate basic mathematical problem-solving skills. However, their effectiveness varies with increasing task complexity. While GPT-4.0 and GPT-MM show marginal improvements in providing detailed solutions, significant challenges persist, especially in moderate to complex modelling contexts where comprehending the nuances of tasks becomes challenging. Additionally, the study suggests that the openness of modelling tasks has a limited impact on performance, highlighting that mathematical and contextual complexities play more critical roles. The implications of these observations are discussed in terms of potential enhancements to teaching methodologies and the integration of AI tools like GPT in educational settings. This reiterates the importance of further research to fully understand the capabilities and limitations of AI tools and ensure their effective use in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with an empirical study, which aims at showing the effects of the integration of modelling tasks into daily school routine in a comprehensive manner. At first the theoretical and methodological approach is explained. The main part of the paper deals with the results of the study. On the one hand the results show obstacles to the incorporation of modelling into everyday teaching practice and on the other hand the opportunities offered by this incorporation. [Paper presented at the Annual International Congress on Mathematical Education (10th, Copenhagen, July 2004).]