Cultural Tools and Mathematical Learning: A Case Study

1995 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Cobb
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Second Graders ◽  
Mathematical Activity ◽  
Sociocultural Perspective ◽  
Mathematical Learning ◽  
Mathematical Development ◽  
Constructivist Perspective ◽  
Cultural Tools ◽  
Conceptual Advance

This study investigates the role that four second graders' use of the hundreds board played in supporting their conceptual development over a 10-week period. Particular attention is given to the transition from counting by ones to counting by tens and ones. The analysis indicates that the children's use of the hundreds board did not support the construction of increasingly sophisticated concepts of ten. However, children's use of the hundreds board did appear to support their ability to reflect on their mathematical activity once they had made this conceptual advance. The constructivist perspective exemplified in the analysis is contrasted with a sociocultural perspective on mathematical development. The differing roles attributed to cultural tools are clarified, and potentially complementary aspects of the two perspectives are discussed.

scholarly journals Conceptual Development and Dynamic Realism

2013 ◽  
pp. 133-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Family Resemblance ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Cognitive Sciences ◽  
Detailed Case ◽  
Basic Features

This paper focuses on Thomas S. Kuhn's work on taxonomic concepts and how it relates to empirical work from the cognitive sciences on categorization and conceptual development. I shall first review the basic features of Kuhn's family resemblance account and compare to work from the cognitive sciences. I shall then show how Kuhn's account can be extended to cover the development of new taxonomies in science, and I shall illustrate by a detailed case study that Kuhn himself mentioned only briefly in his own work, namely the discovery of X-rays and radioactivity.

scholarly journals Pre–service and In-service primary teachers’ generic and subject-specific skills On Geometric understanding of symmetry: A case study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiva Mafakheri
Keyword(s):  
Symmetry Axis ◽  
Primary Teachers ◽  
Primary Teacher ◽  
Elementary Level ◽  
Mathematical Activity ◽  
Math Teachers ◽  
Teacher Needs ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Prospective Primary Teachers

Abstract According to the curricula all over the world symmetry plays an important role in the teaching geometry at primary levels. Geometry is one of topics that have the most problematic content knowledge for the prospective primary teachers. This paper studies the understanding of the symmetry of shapes among pre-service and in-service teachers to find out their visual perception of the geometric shapes symmetry and the symmetry axis. The aim is to create a symmetrical pattern with symmetry axis of the shapes. Evidence that only content-oriented professional development coursework taken by primary school math teachers appears effective, suggests that relatively more resources ought to be put into content focused training for teachers and that changes are warranted at the elementary level and in pedagogical in-service training generally. The primary teacher needs to be able to modify some proposed problems in order to get a richer mathematical activity, being aware of their mathematical benefits. It should be part of growing the capacity of analyzing didactically the mathematics activity.

The organization of competition and non-competition in schools

Competition ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 162-175
Author(s):  
Søren Christensen ◽  
Hanne Knudsen
Keyword(s):  
Second Graders ◽  
Game Playing ◽  
Learning Paradigm ◽  
Danish School ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Intensity Of Competition

This chapter explores current ambivalences towards using competition between students as a means to intensify learning. The analysis builds on a case study from a Danish school where games are used to motivate second graders to maximize their learning. The current learning paradigm views the intensity of competition as desirable for motivational purposes. At the same time, the downsides of competition are seemingly avoided because there is no scarcity of prizes and therefore no losers. It becomes an open question whether game-playing is in fact competition or not. Individual students must therefore decide themselves whether competing is the most effective way of sustaining their learning. The analysis concludes that current ambivalences towards competition do not primarily stem from a care for cooperation and community but from a care for the individual’s maximized learning. Theoretically, the chapter introduces the notion of side-glance to understand competition as a form of observation.

District-scale water management: impacts on infrastructure, energy, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Myers ◽  
P. Grace ◽  
E. Lopez Calva ◽  
X. Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Urban Systems ◽  
Carbon Footprints ◽  
Peak Runoff ◽  
The Impact

This paper explores the impact of water conservation and rainwater harvesting practices implemented at the site or district scale on the infrastructure, energy and water cycles of their larger urban systems. A case study is presented of a conceptual development in a Southeast Asian climate. Two technologies are examined: water-efficient fixtures and appliances and rainwater harvesting and beneficial use. Practices to reduce water consumption at the site or district scale have implications in the larger system, ranging from reductions in water that has to be treated and distributed, reductions in wastewater that has to be collected and treated, and reductions in energy consumed. Similarly, using rainwater for irrigation will reduce the amount of potable water demand, and will have system energy implications. The paper considers performance criteria for the entire water-energy system, including peak runoff, pollutant loads, energy and carbon footprints.

scholarly journals The Needs of Educators in Intercultural and Bilingual Preschools in Chile: A Case Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rukmini Becerra-Lubies ◽  
Aliza Fones
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Indigenous Language ◽  
Sociocultural Perspective ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Second Language Teachers ◽  
Mapuche People ◽  
K 12

Several studies have examined the lack of or the insufficient preparation of K-12 educators to work in intercultural and bilingual (IBE) schools in Chile, but little is known about the preparation of educators to teach in IBE preschools. Even less is known about teachers’ perceptions of their own preparation. This work contributes to a growing body of literature that examines the experiences and practice of second language teachers in Indigenous language education settings from a sociocultural perspective. This qualitative case study focuses on teachers’ perceptions of their preparation to teach Mapudungun, the language of the Mapuche people, in urban IBE preschools in Chile. Three research questions guide this study: What are teachers’ perceptions of their needs regarding their preparation to teach Mapudungun in urban IBE preschools? What are the current challenges that teachers face teaching Mapudungun in urban IBE preschools? Which experiences fostered their ability to teach Mapudungun? The findings of this study have implications for the incorporation of more complex notions of Indigenous language learning that are linked directly to Mapuche culture and its sociopolitical context, as well as the inclusion of teachers’ experiential knowledge in the preparation of teachers for work in IBE schools.

Pre-Service Computer Teachers as 3D Educational Game Designers

2009 ◽  
pp. 331-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahide Yildirim ◽  
Eylem Kilic
Keyword(s):  
Formative Evaluation ◽  
Educational Software ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Sixth Graders ◽  
Second Graders ◽  
Educational Game ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Game Development ◽  
Teachers Perceptions

This chapter explores prospective computer teachers’ perceptions of and experiences in goal-based scenario (GBS) centered 3D educational game development process. Twenty-six pre-service computer teachers who enrolled in a Design, Development and Evaluation of Educational Software undergraduate course formed the sample of this case study, and they, in groups, developed GBS-centered 3D educational games. The data were collected through GBS evaluation checklists, interviews, and formative evaluations. The findings indicated that the pre-service teachers preferred GBS-centered educational games to traditional educational games. They declared that the most important feature of educational games was their contribution to motivation, attention, and retention. Although the majority of the groups developed their educational games in line with GBS, they had difficulty creating a realistic scenario and mission. Unlike what the literature indicates, one of the group’s formative evaluation results showed that while the second graders prefer realism, the sixth graders prefer more fantasy in the scenario.

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