Sparking interest in the mathematics classroom

1970 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-242
Author(s):  
Donald L. Bradfield

From the glamorous stars of the entertainment world come the clues for sparking interest in the mathematics classroom. Basically, these stars make use of three kinds of entertainment—comedy. mystery, and drama. Through proper use of these methods of entertainment, the mathematics classroom can come alive with diversions and excitement. The intent of this article is to illustrate how to spark interest in the mathematics classroom by utilizing types of recreational mathematics that are categorized under three entertainment media headings. Suggestions will be made as to how to assimilate each type into a regular program of mathematical instruction.

Author(s):  
Laramie D. Taylor

Research has shown that thoughts about death influence sexual cognitions and some media choices. The present study tested the hypothesis that thoughts about death may affect individuals’ tendency to select or avoid entertainment media programming containing sexual material. In two experiments, thoughts about death (mortality salience [MS]) were manipulated before college undergraduates expressed interest in viewing television shows and movies with varying amounts of sexual content. In both studies, MS was associated with greater overall interest in sexual media content. Although terror management theory would indicate that sexual worldview should moderate this effect, this was not observed to be the case. In addition, MS was not found to affect interest in other types of highly engaging media content including violent and dramatic content. Limitations regarding generalizability are discussed. Results suggest that MS increases a preference for sexual media content, and that this occurs for individuals with diverse sexual values systems. This is discussed in terms of implications for terror management theory and cognitive models of media influence.


Author(s):  
Matthias Hofer

Abstract. This was a study on the perceived enjoyment of different movie genres. In an online experiment, 176 students were randomly divided into two groups (n = 88) and asked to estimate how much they, their closest friends, and young people in general enjoyed either serious or light-hearted movies. These self–other differences in perceived enjoyment of serious or light-hearted movies were also assessed as a function of differing individual motivations underlying entertainment media consumption. The results showed a clear third-person effect for light-hearted movies and a first-person effect for serious movies. The third-person effect for light-hearted movies was moderated by level of hedonic motivation, as participants with high hedonic motivations did not perceive their own and others’ enjoyment of light-hearted films differently. However, eudaimonic motivations did not moderate first-person perceptions in the case of serious films.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1329878X2098596
Author(s):  
Anna Cristina Pertierra

Since the late 1980s, Filipino entertainment television has assumed and maintained a dominance in national popular culture, which expanded in the digital era. The media landscape into which digital technologies were launched in the Philippines was largely set in the wake of the 1986 popular movement and change of government referred to as the EDSA revolution: television stations that had been sequestered under martial law were turned over to family-dominated commercial enterprises, and entertainment media proliferated. Building upon the long development of entertainment industries in the Philippines, new social media encounters with entertainment content generate expanded and engaged publics whose formation continues to operate upon a foundation of televisual media. This article considers the particular role that entertainment media plays in the formation of publics in which comedic, melodramatic and celebrity-led content generates networks of followers, users and viewers whose loyalty produces various forms of capital, including in notable cases political capital.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105345122199480
Author(s):  
Stephanie Morano ◽  
Andrew M. Markelz ◽  
Kathleen M. Randolph ◽  
Anna Moriah Myers ◽  
Naomi Church

Motivation and engagement in mathematics are important for academic success and are sometimes compromised in students with disabilities who have experienced a history of frustration and failure. This article explains how general and special education teachers can implement three research-supported strategies for boosting motivation and engagement for elementary students with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in the mathematics classroom. The strategies include (a) reinforcing engagement and motivation in mathematics using behavior-specific praise and token economy systems; (b) teaching self-monitoring and self-regulation strategies to promote attentive behavior and academic achievement; and (c) using the high-preference strategy to build behavioral momentum and support completion of nonpreferred tasks.


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