Capturing Mathematical Curiosity with Notice and Wonder

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 394-399
Author(s):  
Aaron M. Rumack ◽  
DeAnn Huinker
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Sense Making

Capturing students' own observations before solving a problem propelled a culture of sense making by meeting needs typical of middle school learners.

Sense Making and the Solution of Division Problems Involving Remainders: An Examination of Middle School Students' Solution Processes and Their Interpretations of Solutions

1993 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward A. Silver ◽  
Lora J. Shapiro ◽  
Adam Deutsch
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Mathematical Thinking ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
School Students ◽  
Solution Processes ◽  
Division Problems ◽  
Division With Remainder

In this study, about 200 middle school students solved an augmented-quotient division-with-remainders problem, and their solution processes and interpretations were examined. Based on earlier research, semantic-processing models were proposed to explain students' success or failure in solving division-with-remainder story problems on the basis of the presence or absence of an adequate interpretation provided by the solver after obtaining a numerical solution. In this study, students' solutions and their attempts and failures to “make sense” of their answers were analyzed for evidence that supported or refuted the hypothesized semantic-processing models. The results confirmed that the models provide a solid explanation of students' failure to solve division-with-remainder problems in school settings. More generally, the results indicated that student performance was adversely affected by their dissociation of sense making from the solution of school mathematics problems and their difficulty in providing written accounts of their mathematical thinking and reasoning.

scholarly journals Navigating and decoding dynamic maps: Gender preferences and engagement differences within- and outside-of game experiences

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Lowrie ◽  
Robyn Jorgensen ◽  
Tracy Logan
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Game Playing ◽  
Gender Preferences ◽  
School Students ◽  
Stimulated Recall

<p>A survey (<em>n</em> = 410) revealed statistically significant gender differences between middle school students' preference for playing particular types of games. Subsequent instrumental case studies theorised the "within-game" and "out-of-game" experiences of two middle school students as they played a digital hand-held game. These two case studies comprised stimulated recall sessions and subsequent follow-up, open-ended interviews. The analysis described the influence digital game playing can have on a participant's mathematics sense making. Findings included distinct differences in both the approach and the strategies employed by the respective participants to not only engage with the game, but contextualise it within their own knowledge and experiences. Furthermore, the study demonstrated the extent to which game playing can be a catalyst for further learning outside the game experience.</p><br />

Promoting Mathematical Connections Using Three-Dimensional Manipulatives

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 488-492
Author(s):  
Farshid Safi ◽  
Siddhi Desai
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Mathematical Understanding ◽  
Success For All ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Mathematical Ideas ◽  
Mathematical Connections ◽  
Mathematical Success

Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All (NCTM 2014) gives teachers access to an insightful, research-informed framework that outlines ways to promote reasoning and sense making. Specifically, as students transition on their mathematical journey through middle school and beyond, their knowledge and use of representations should continually develop in complexity and scope. “[Students] will need to be able to convert flexibly among these representations. Much of the power of mathematics comes from being able to view and operate on objects from different perspectives” (NCTM 2000, p. 361). In fact, when students represent, discuss, and make connections among different mathematical ideas by using different methods, they engage in deeper sense making and improve their problem-solving skills while refining their mathematical understanding (Fuson, Kalchman, and Bransford 2005; Lesh, Post, and Behr 1987).

Adolescent Students Who Stutter: A Qualitative Exploration of School Experiences

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1327-1336
Author(s):  
Tiffany R. Cobb ◽  
Derek E. Daniels ◽  
James Panico
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Image Data ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Adolescent Students ◽  
Therapy Decision ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which adolescent students who stutter perceive their school experiences. Method This study used a qualitative, phenomenological research design. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 7 adolescent students who stutter (3 in middle school and 4 in high school). Participants were interviewed about their school experiences, including the effects of stuttering on academics, learning, teacher relationships, peer relationships, speech therapy experiences, and self-image. Data analysis consisted of transcribing interviews and analyzing them for emerging themes. Results Findings revealed that participants described a variety of experiences around the school setting. Participants reported less favorable middle school experiences. Middle school participants reflected more on teasing, bullying, and feelings of embarrassment, whereas high school participants revealed that teachers, staff, and peers were receptive and accepting of them and their stuttering. All participants reported that their speech therapy helped with classroom participation. Conclusions As a result of the participants' varied experiences, it is important to listen to and incorporate the voices of students who stutter into school, classroom, and therapy decision-making practices.

The Effect of Vocabulary Intervention on Text Comprehension: Who Benefits?

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 562-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawna Duff
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Text Comprehension ◽  
Classroom Instruction ◽  
Vocabulary Instruction ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Intervention ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference

Purpose Vocabulary intervention can improve comprehension of texts containing taught words, but it is unclear if all middle school readers get this benefit. This study tests 2 hypotheses about variables that predict response to vocabulary treatment on text comprehension: gains in vocabulary knowledge due to treatment and pretreatment reading comprehension scores. Method Students in Grade 6 ( N = 23) completed a 5-session intervention based on robust vocabulary instruction (RVI). Knowledge of the semantics of taught words was measured pre- and posttreatment. Participants then read 2 matched texts, 1 containing taught words (treated) and 1 not (untreated). Treated texts and taught word lists were counterbalanced across participants. The difference between text comprehension scores in treated and untreated conditions was taken as a measure of the effect of RVI on text comprehension. Results RVI resulted in significant gains in knowledge of taught words ( d RM = 2.26) and text comprehension ( d RM = 0.31). The extent of gains in vocabulary knowledge after vocabulary treatment did not predict the effect of RVI on comprehension of texts. However, untreated reading comprehension scores moderated the effect of the vocabulary treatment on text comprehension: Lower reading comprehension was associated with greater gains in text comprehension. Readers with comprehension scores below the mean experienced large gains in comprehension, but those with average/above average reading comprehension scores did not. Conclusion Vocabulary instruction had a larger effect on text comprehension for readers in Grade 6 who had lower untreated reading comprehension scores. In contrast, the amount that children learned about taught vocabulary did not predict the effect of vocabulary instruction on text comprehension. This has implications for the identification of 6th-grade students who would benefit from classroom instruction or clinical intervention targeting vocabulary knowledge.

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