Multimedia resources In the mathematics classroom

Abstract  In a study of multimedia technology in mathematics classrooms, teachers were given a set of resources which were very mixed in character and style, and from which they could freely select. These were used in lessons over an extended period, in some cases for two years or longer. By interviewing and by observing lessons, it has been possible to draw some tentative conclusions about the relative merits of different styles of multimedia in mathematics classrooms. There was no evidence that multimedia leads to radically new ways of teaching and learning but instead it appears to be a natural continuation of the evolution of ideas for teaching with computers that took place during the 1980s.     

Utilization of the microcomputer in the mathematics classroom

This study investigated the utilization of microcomputers in the secondary mathematics curriculum. A sample of 128 mathematics teachers completed a survey describing their use of the microcomputer for instruction. Results from the study suggested the microcomputer was not utilized as often as expected. Findings that describe the computer-using and non-computer-using teachers, the ways computers are used in the mathematics classroom, and the instructional environment where computers are used are reported. Suggestions are provided for improving the integration of the microcomputer into the mathematics classroom.     

A programming approach to mathematics

This article presents an attempt to employ a programming approach to mathematical formalization. Six self-instructional units (120 instructional hours) have been developed for the Open University in Israel. This material was tried on three different types of populations: (a) bright high school students (11th–12th grade, A-level mathematics), (b) mathematics teachers with a programming background, and (c) university students studying mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. The results indicated that the programming approach is complementary to high school and university mathematics. The opportunity to explore, the algorithmic approach to mathematical operations and the visualization of mathematical objects and processes facilitates mathematical understanding and insights. It was most beneficial to the majority of the students who perform on a moderate level of abstraction. The course was less advantageous to those who have a very abstract way of perceiving mathematics or to those who are interested in mathematics only on a technical level. However, the vast majority of students gained new ways of understanding mathematical topics such as functions, curves, probability, game theory, recursive functions, envelopes, tiling, curve fitting, etc. They gained, as well, new strategies of using microcomputers to solve and further explore many mathematical problems which they could not solve before.     

A psychological perspective on augmented reality in the mathematics classroom

Physical objects and virtual information are used as teaching aids in classrooms everywhere, and until recently, merging these two worlds has been difficult at best. Augmented reality offers the combination of physical and virtual, drawing on the strengths of each. We consider this technology in the realm of the mathematics classroom, and offer theoretical underpinnings for understanding the benefits and limitations of AR learning experiences. The paper presents a framework for understanding AR learning from three perspectives: physical, cognitive, and contextual. On the physical dimension, we argue that physical manipulation affords natural interactions, thus encouraging the creation of embodied representations for educational concepts. On the cognitive dimension, we discuss how spatiotemporal alignment of information through AR experiences can aid student's symbolic understanding by scaffolding the progression of learning, resulting in improved understanding of abstract concepts. Finally, on the contextual dimension, we argue that AR creates possibilities for collaborative learning around virtual content and in non-traditional environments, ultimately facilitating personally meaningful experiences. In the process of discussing these dimensions, we discuss examples from existing AR applications and provide guidelines for future AR learning experiences, while considering the pragmatic and technological concerns facing the widespread implementation of augmented reality inside and outside the classroom.     

The design and application of technology-based courses in the mathematics classroom

It is difficult to examine the effectiveness of technology-based courses (TBC) without understanding the design and application in classrooms. There is evidence of disconnects among the theory for designing, the theory used to apply TBCs in classrooms, and the theory used to research and evaluate TBCs [Hickey, D. T. (1997). Motivation and contemporary socio-constructivist instructional perspectives. Educational Psychologist, 32(3), 175–193]. Comments provided by administrators, teachers and students may lead researchers to determine whether or not the original TBC course goals have been attained. In this paper, we first discuss examples of theoretical disconnects found in other technology-based research [Aleven, V. E., Stahl, E., Schworm, S., Fischer, F., & Wallace, R. (2003). Help seeking and help design in interactive learning environments. Review of Educational Research, 73(3), 277–320; Hickey, D. T., & McCaslin, M. (2001). A comparative, sociocultural analysis of context and motivation. In S. Volet, & S. Järvelä (Eds.), Motivation in learning contexts: Theoretical advances and methodological implications (pp. 33–55). Elmsford, NY: Pergamon Press]. Then, we describe the course design of the mathematics TBC used in this study, the reasons the principal and the teacher’s believe the software will benefit their mathematics students, and the perceptions of mathematics students regarding the effectiveness of the technology in their classroom. In conclusion, we will discuss how this preliminary qualitative data shaped our future research questions.     

Teaching and learning in the wireless classroom

Wireless networks now support Web browsing, e-mail, real-time chat, and access to remote computing resources. With the increasing use of small portable computers, this emerging communications infrastructure will enable many new Internet applications. Two innovative projects at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington are currently exploring how educators can use portable handheld computers with wireless Internet access to improve teaching and learning in both local and wide area network environments     

Entitlement through IT in mathematics classrooms

This paper is motivated by the need to find oppositional opportunities within the status quo of mathematics classrooms and the secondary school mathematics curriculum. The document from the National Council for Educational Technology (Mathematics and IT) suggests six ways in which information technology can provide opportunities to which students learning mathematics are 'entitled'. The article is an attempt to draw out ways in which these opportunities might be interpreted which point to more liberatory practices in mathematics classrooms. Each of the information technology opportunities is paralleled with opportunities to begin to develop a social justice curriculum in and through the teaching and learning of mathematics, a curriculum designed to enable students to participate in a democracy more effectively.     

Teaching mathematics and the Inuit community

Abstract

In the spring of 2000, the Inuit community and the Kativik School Board were pondering the difficulties encountered by students in mathematics and the measures that could be taken to help these students. One significant fact that it seemed might help explain these difficulties was that Inuit students learn Inuit mathematics (for example, a base‐20 numeral system) in their own language in the first three years of their schooling and then go on to study in either French or English. A collaboration between researchers, teachers from the Inuit community, and curriculum developers was established. In this article, we present facets of the environment, language, and culture of the Inuit that influenced the development of the Inuit numeration system, their ways of measuring (length, distance, time, etc.), and their great aptitude in spatial representations. We then discuss the current collaborative project that aims at the development of teaching situations adapted to Inuit classrooms.     

数学与应用数学专业“C程序设计”教学改革探讨

"C程序设计"是数学与应用数学专业的一门基础课,目前该课程在这两个专业中的教学内容有很大的局限性。传统的教学模式基本上不考虑数学与应用数学的专业性,教学手段上还是以教为主,学为辅。根据数学与应用数学专业的特点,从教学内容、教学模式和教学手段等方面对"C程序设计"教学进行了改革。经学生实际学习情况验证,取得了较好的教学效果。     

Teaching competencies for technology integration in the classroom

Abstract   There is growing interest in the integration of technology into the classroom. A range of initiatives have been launched to develop in-service teacher training processes that will strengthen this integration. In the present paper, we systematize the findings of a large selection of studies on this topic, focusing on domains and competencies linked to teacher training propositions for technology integration. Our main result is the presentation of six such domains that have been proposed in the existing literature: instrumental/technological, pedagogical/curricular, didactic/methodological, evaluative/investigative, communicational/relational and personal/attitudinal. A set of teaching competencies for each domain is also identified. These domains and competencies together form the bases for creating a technology integration training model.     

Teaching secure programming

Computer users, managers, and developers agree that we need software and systems that are "more secure". Such efforts require support from both the education and training communities to improve software assurance -particularly in writing secure code.     

Teaching robust programming

Robust programming aims to prevent abnormal termination or unexpected actions and requires code to handle bad (invalid or absurd) inputs in a way that is consistent with the developer's intent. For example, if an internal error occurs, the program might terminate gracefully rather than simply failing, providing enough information for the programmer to debug the program and avoiding giving the user additional access or information. This article focuses on teaching these principles.     

论函数编程技术在计算机数学教学中的应用

计算机数学作为计算机学科一门重要专业基础课程在计算机的教授与学习中起到承上启下的作用.随着网络时代的到来,企业、政府、个人都看到了计算机在生产生活中必不可少的作用,计算机成为生活中必不可少的东西.网络时代的发展也带动了计算机学科的发展,成为热门学科.计算机学科和数学是分不开的,因此也称为最有难度的一个学科.虽然很多学生选择计算机学科,但是在实际课堂教育中,学生的听课效率却不如预期,主要因为计算机数学内容理论性很强,而且一些概念知识很抽象,让学生很难理解,从而对学科内容不感兴趣.函数编程技术在教学中应用,对计算机数学的学习起到了辅助作用,让学生可以利用这种编程语言了解计算机数学的一些抽象性概念,更好的在实践中运用计算机数学.函数编程技术在计算机数学中应用,使得死板的理论学科变得稍显活泼,这回让学生对该学科更感兴趣,带动学生积极主动地学习.     

Teaching PROLOG programming in the secondary school

Abstract A PROLOG programming course was trialed on a class of twelve 16–17 year-old pupils who had varied previous experience of computing. The pupils were studying a variety of other subjects but would normally be considered to be of a high level of ability. The course was taught over a period of 15 weeks and lasted approximately 60 hours. Concepts covered included recursion and list processing. Most pupils were able to become reasonably competent over this period and one or two excelled. Previous experience of programming appeared to be an advantage if it had involved formal instruction in structured programming but indications were that self-taught BASIC proved to be an obstacle. It was concluded that further investigation of PROLOG as a school programming language would be worthwhile.     

Integer programming methods for large-scale practical classroom assignment problems

In this paper we present an integer programming method for solving the Classroom Assignment Problem in University Course Timetabling. We introduce a novel formulation of the problem which generalises existing models and maintains tractability even for large instances. The model is validated through computational results based on our experiences at the University of Auckland, and on instances from the 2007 International Timetabling Competition. We also expand upon existing results into the computational difficulty of room assignment problems.     

翻转课堂教学模式在程序设计类课程中的实践与反思

翻转课堂教学模式为高校教学改革提供了新思路,但翻转课堂的实施需要哪些先决条件?实施过程中需要注意哪些问题?师生的角色在实施过程中有哪些转变?通过数门程序设计类课程的翻转课堂实践,分析了影响翻转课堂有效实施的主要因素,提出成功实施的关键在于学生课前学习资源的适配度、评价监督机制的有效性等,而课堂活动是保证翻转模式能持续进行的重要环节。     

利用结对编程技术改进程序设计实践教学

介绍了结对编程的概念,阐述了其作为学习编程技能的一种过程改进策略在国外计算机专业教学中的实验效果,并论述了相关影响因素。     

数据结构翻转课堂教学实践

近来,"MOOC""翻转课堂"等名词已成为教育界热议的话题,从认识阶段逐步走向了实践阶段。在中国,已经有一些高校进行了相关的实践。那么,什么是"翻转课堂"?如何认识这一新生事物对本科计算机教育的影响?又如何付诸计算机专业基础核心课程数据结构的具体教学实践中来?结合以上问题展开了研究。     

回归课堂的程序设计课程教学设计

当前,程序设计相关课程的重点向实践偏移,但是一些老师在重视实践的同时,却忽视了课堂教育。笔者认为,课堂教学是大学教育的基础,不能被课外实践所取代,在重视实践的基础上,应让程序设计课回归课堂。如何通过课堂教学,让学生学懂、学会、学活,是需要任课老师进行持之以恒的研究。从知识体系、知识边界、讲授逻辑、教学技巧、原创思维、使用能力等多个角度分析了课堂教学研究的核心要义,并以程序设计课程为案例展示了回归课堂教学的效果。