Science Camp as a Transformative Experience for Students,Parents, and Teachers in the Urban Setting

This paper reports on creative partnerships to create learning communities to benefit students, parents, and teachers in the urban setting. Science Camp is a university day camp offering problem‐based science exploration for urban middle school students and an introduction to college life. For parents it is an opportunity to learn about college opportunities for their children and to gather information about funding sources. For middle school science teachers and preservice teachers it is a learning laboratory for conducting problem‐based learning in the urban setting. The findings describe the effects of the learning communities on the transformation of students, parents, preservice teachers, and in‐service teachers.     

Observation of Reform Teaching in Undergraduate Level Mathematics and Science Courses

This paper reports on initial results from an ongoing evaluation study of a National Science Foundation project to implement reform‐oriented teaching practices in college science and mathematics courses. The purpose of this study was to determine what elements of reform teaching are being utilized by college faculty members teaching undergraduate science and mathematics courses, including a qualitative estimate of the frequency with which they are used. Participating instructors attended summer institutes that modeled reform‐based practices and fostered reflection on current issues in science, mathematics, and technological literacy for K‐16 teaching, with an explicit emphasis on the importance of creating the best possible learning experience for prospective K‐12 science and mathematics teachers. Utilizing a unique classroom observation protocol (the Oregon‐Teacher Observation Protocol) and interviews, the authors (a) conclude that some reform‐oriented teaching strategies are evident in undergraduate mathematics and science instruction and (b) suggest areas in which additional support and feedback are needed in order for higher education faculty members to adopt reform‐based instructional methodology.     

立足教育创新瞩目大学数学教育

在回顾我国非数学专业数学教育、教学改革的基础上,对当今的大学数学教育进行了分析和展望.对大学数学教育的地位及作用进行了探讨.认为大学数学教育,要体现教育创新思想,要在改革中求生存,以成绩促发展.     

The effect of order and co‐ordination of the problem quantities on the difficulty of missing value proportion problems

One variable of the solution process of missing value proportion problems is the order co‐ordination of the missing value and the units of measure. A scheme is devised to analyse the syntactical structure of such problems in a standard self‐paced college arithmetic text. Student performance is assessed to determine the impact of this co‐ordination on problem difficulty.     

Educational aspirations as a markovian process: A panel study of college and non‐college plans during high school†

An initial test of the discrete‐time Markov model in the study of educational aspirations throughout high school was carried out. The design of the study permitted testing for sex differences and order effects The results indicate a good fit between the data and the model across several cohorts of students. Order effects were apparent, but sex differences in the transition probabilities were not found. Future change in aspirations appears least likely for students with a history of stable college plans, while it is most likely for those who start with non‐college aspirations and change to college plans.     

Collaborative Workshops and Student Academic Performance in Introductory College Mathematics Courses: A Study of a Treisman Model Math Excel Program

High failure rates in introductory college mathematics courses, particularly among underrepresented groups of students, have been of concern for many years. One approach to the problem experiencing some success has been Treisman's Emerging Scholars workshop model. The model involves supplemental workshops in which students solve problems in collaborative learning groups. This study reports on the effectiveness of Math Excel, an implementation of the Treisman model for introductory mathematics courses (college algebra, precalculus, differential calculus, and integral calculus) at Oregon State University over five academic terms. Regression analyses revealed a significant effect on achievement (.671 grade points on a 4‐point scale) favoring Math Excel students. Even after adjusting for prior mathematics achievement using linear regression with SAT‐M as predictor, Math Excel groups' grade averages were over half a grade point better than predicted (significant at the .001 level). This study provides supporting evidence that programs like Math Excel can help students in making a successful transition to college mathematics study.     

Teaching Probability in Intermediate Grades∗;†

This paper discusses three alternative models for structuring homework assignments in college level mathematics. A distributive model which incorporates both early and late review of previously learned material into the daily assignment schedule is explicated in detail. The relative efficacy of the conventional method for assigning homework and the distributive method in promoting achievement and favourable attitudes toward mathematics in a first semester course in calculus was investigated in a controlled experiment. Significant (p < 0.03) interactions between mathematical ability and assignment model were found on three of four unit tests. In each case, pupils with the weaker pre‐calculus background profited more from the distributive assignment schedule. There were no significant interactions or differences on a comprehensive post‐test or on attitudes toward mathematics. Implications for research and practice in college level mathematics, physics, and engineering courses are suggested.     

Understanding STEM‐focused elementary schools: Case study of Walter Bracken STEAM Academy

Increasingly, STEM focused high schools are used prepare students for college STEM majors and launch them into STEM careers. Yet a new focus on STEM education at the elementary levels suggests that the importance of STEM education is much broader than a preparation for workforce needs in high school or college. This paper describes a case study designed to articulate the mission and design of an effective and nationally recognized STEM‐focused elementary school. As described through the six most impactful components of STEM‐focused elementary school design at Walter Bracken STEAM Academy, the case study emphasizes the school's strong and inclusive school leadership, with staff organized into grade level groups empowered to innovate and honing their teaching practices. External partnerships are leveraged to broaden student learning opportunities. Students at Bracken engage in active learning opportunities and multidisciplinary lessons where STEM is used as a way of thinking and as a way to coherently combine content into active learning opportunities that are engaging for learners. By organizing the structural components of an exemplary STEM‐focused elementary school, we hope to deliver actionable reforms for elementary schools wanting to increase their STEM‐focused offerings.     

Gender Gap Trends on Mathematics Exams Position Girls and Young Women for STEM Careers

Nine years of results on 4.2 million of Indiana's Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) mathematics (math) exams (grades 3–10) taken after the implementation of No Child Left Behind have been used to determine gender gaps and their associated trends. Sociocultural factors were investigated by comparing math gender gaps and gap trends for (a) state public schools, (b) state nonpublic schools, (c) a low‐performing metropolitan school, and (d) a high‐performing suburban school. To control for changing sociocultural factors, multiregression analyses were conducted to predict grade‐level (3–10) gender gaps and math scale scores using socioeconomic and ethnicity variables. The underrepresentation of females in earning advanced STEM degrees was investigated by determining the gender of the highest performer on the ISTEP math exams in grades 3–10 for each of state's 292 school corporations. Boys' percentages were higher across all grades by about a 2:1 ratio, similar to high‐end results on Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) math exams. Simulations of distributions for d = .27 and variance ratio = 1.13 fitted 2013 college‐bound SAT math empirical data. Results of the analyses of the state's ISTEP math exam data and the 2013 SAT math scores of college‐bound seniors support the arguments that girls and young women possess the abilities to pursue STEM careers that require advanced mathematical skills.     

What are We Developing? A Case Study of a College Mathematics Program

Over one‐third of all college mathematics enrollments are in courses considered to be developmental. While such courses have been the subject of a large body of research, one question that seems not to have been studied empirically is the alignment of the content of developmental and college level mathematics courses. This paper gives the results of such a study, conducted at a medium sized public liberal arts university. While the content of the developmental mathematics courses was used subsequently in the Precalculus course, most of the content of the Intermediate Algebra course was not used in other college level mathematics courses. It is hoped that the results of this paper will serve as a catalyst for other institutions to examine carefully and define the mission of both their developmental and college level mathematics courses.     

基于“动态生成”的大学数学课堂教学

"动态生成"教学观的建立旨在摆脱课堂教学中以教师为中心、强调知识传授的传统教学模式的缺陷,从根本上正确理解课堂教学的复杂性和动态性,构建充满生命活力的大学数学课堂教学生态环境.在用动态生成的视角审视当前大学数学课堂教学中存在的问题的基础上,文章对在课堂教学中如何有效地进行动态生成提出了一些具体的策略:更新教学观念,精心预设弹性化的数学课堂教学方案;根据学生课堂反馈情况及时调整预设,并及时捕捉可利用的动态资源,为学生的生成创造可能的机会;加强教学研究,不断提高课堂教学智慧.     

基于增值的中学教学效率评估模型

分析了在中学教学质量评价中引入“增值”概念的意义与作用 ,讨论了协方差分析法与齐次马尔柯夫链分析法的理论依据及其计算程序 ,并结合四所中学的数据进行了实际分析 ,解决了因各校学生高中入学成绩存在差异而无法正确地以学生高考成绩评价中学教学质量问题 .     

Metaphor Clusters: Characterizing Instructor Metaphorical Reasoning on Limit Concepts in College Calculus

Novice students have difficulty with the topic of limits in calculus. We believe this is in part because of the multiple perspectives and shifting metaphors available to solve items correctly. We investigated college calculus instructors' personal concepts of limits. Based upon previous research investigating introductory calculus student metaphorical reasoning, we examined 11 college instructors' metaphorical reasoning on limit concepts. This paper focused on previous research of metaphor clusters observed among students to answer the following: (a) Do college instructors use metaphorical reasoning to conceptualize the meaning of a limit? (b) Can we characterize instructor metaphorical reasoning similar to those observed among students? (c) Will an instructor's self‐identification of metaphor clusters be consistent with our metaphor coding? We found that college instructors' perspectives vary, either graphical or algebraic, in their explanations of limit items. All the instructors used metaphors, and instructor metaphorical reasoning aligned with student metaphor clusters. Instructors tended to change their metaphors with respect to the limit item. Instructors were not aware of their use of metaphors, nor were they aware of their inconsistency in their choice of metaphor. We believe that instructor awareness of their own distinct perspectives and metaphors would assist students' understanding of limit concepts.     

科学思维、科学方法在概率论与数理统计教学中的应用研究

根据我们的教学体会,讨论了在高等教育成为大众化教育的今天,在阐述科学思维、科学方法与数学思维、数学方法之间关系的基础上,如何在概率论与数理统计教学中培养大学生的科学思维和科学方法,并结合实例进行了探讨.     

The Effects of Non‐CAS Graphing Calculators on Student Achievement and Attitude Levels in Mathematics: A Meta‐Analysis

Forty‐two studies comparing students with access to graphing calculators during instruction to students who did not have access to graphing calculators during instruction are the subject of this meta‐analysis. The results on the achievement and attitude levels of students are presented. The studies evaluated cover middle and high school mathematics courses, as well as college courses through first semester calculus. When calculators were part of instruction but not testing, students' benefited from using calculators while developing the skills necessary to understand mathematics concepts. When calculators were included in testing and instruction, the procedural, conceptual, and overall achievement skills of students improved.     

Rate of Change: AP Calculus Students' Understandings and Misconceptions After Completing Different Curricular Paths

This study examined Advanced Placement Calculus students' mathematical understanding of rate of change, after studying four years of college preparatory (integrated or single‐subject) mathematics. Students completed the Precalculus Concept Assessment (PCA) and two open‐ended tasks with questions about rates of change. After adjusting for prior achievement with the Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test, students from these two paths performed comparably (F = 3.54, p = .063) on the PCA. Student errors on the three instruments revealed a lack of understanding of the interpretation or meaning of rate of change regardless of the curricular path. Students successfully calculated the rate of change of linear functions; however, when the function was not linear, students struggled to calculate it, model it on a graph, or interpret it in a real‐world context.     

最佳组队方案及模型

本文以选择队员参加大学生数学建模竞赛的组队问题为背景,利用层次分析和动态规划等方法给出了一个最佳组队方案及模型。     

大学生高考成绩与大学阶段学习成绩的相关分析

以某高校几个毕业本科班的高考成绩和大学学习成绩为基础资料,通过相关系数研究了高考成绩与大学阶段的学习成绩以及大学阶段不同科目学习成绩之间的相关关系,用事实和数据反观我国基础教育的成效和大学阶段课程设置的合理程度,对检测基础教育和大学教育具有重要意义.