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.     

巧解一道2020年全国大学生数学竞赛题

主要运用迭代和交换积分次序,给出了一道第十二届全国大学生数学竞赛试题的简单证明.     

大学数学类课程项目驱动教学模式的实践与探讨

作者以面向行政管理专业开设的"概率论与数理统计"和公选课"社会调查研究方法"为主,实施了项目驱动教学模式,使这两门课建设成为富有特色的"课程群",又将课程建设和教学改革经验迁移到"数学建模"、"高等数学"等其他大学数学类公共课中,取得了很好的成效.对传统基础课程的改造与建设、精心设计组织用于驱动教学的"项目"或"问题"、教师的科研积累尤其是跨学科学术资源,是成功实施该教学模式的重要因素.     

数学类课程中开放性作业的研究与实践

在数学类的课程教学中,针对某些开放性问题进行研究,对提升学生数学素质起到了重要作用.本文探讨了开放性作业的内容,组织形式和考核方式.通过教学实践和对学生的问卷调查发现,在大班教学中,开放性作业适合少数学生选做,进一步将研究成果在课堂上分享,所占分数为2-3分,以附加分数的形式计入总分,得到学生的认可度较高,教学效果较好.     

Integration of Science and Mathematics: A Theoretical Model

Interest in interdisciplinary, integrated curriculum development continues to increase. However, teachers, who have been given primary responsibility for developing these materials, are often working with little guidance. At present there exists no clear definition of the meaning of integration of mathematics and science. A continuum model of integration is proposed as a useful tool for curriculum developers as they create new integrated mathematics and science curricula or adapt commercially prepared materials. On the continuum, activities range from mathematics or science involving no integration to those activities including balanced mathematics and science concepts. Several examples are given to illustrate the utility of the continuum model for analyzing integrated curricula. The continuum model is intended to be used by curriculum developers to clarify the relationship between the mathematics and science activities and concepts and to guide the modification of lessons.     

浅谈高等数学教学中的概念引入模式

本文介绍了几何图示等五种概念引入模式．提出高等数学教学中应高度重视概念引入模式的观点,试图以此作为提高教学水平与学生数学素质的一个新的突破口.     

Student Perceptions of a Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics Camp Experience

“As the world becomes increasingly technological, the value of (the ideas and skills of its population) will be determined in no small measure by the effectiveness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States” and “STEM education will determine whether the United States will remain a leader among nations and whether we will be able to solve immense challenges in such areas as energy, health, environmental protection, and national security” (President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2010, p. vii). Research on the effectiveness of STEM‐focused school and other learning experiences (e.g., short‐term camps) on student attitudes and performance outcomes is sparse. In this study, we documented the influence of an intensive STEM summer program on high school students’ attitudes toward STEM concepts and interests in STEM careers. Attending the summer program was associated with gains on students’ attitudes toward some aspects of STEM as well as specific career interests. Notably, students reported statistically significant views of important aspects of STEM and their attitudes toward science and mathematics were more positive than their attitudes about engineering and technology.     

Beating the System: Course Structure and Student Strategies in a Traditional Introductory Undergraduate Physics Course for Nonmajors

The purpose of this study was to describe relationships among instructor and student goals, course design, and student strategies for learning physics in a traditional introductory undergraduate physics course for nonmajors. The procedures included 16 hours ofnonparticipant observation, during which detailed field notes and photographs were taken and documents were collected. Audiotaped open-ended interviews were given to instructors and students, and all students participated in a limited survey. The data were analyzed using qualitative methods of the Chicago School. Results indicated that both differing goals of students and instructors and the structure of the course inhibited the understanding of physics and were conducive to students engaging in unexpected behaviors designed to help them successfully pass the course. The consequences of the structure of the course and subsequent student behaviors inhibited their understanding and appreciation of physics and deterred them from enrolling in further science courses. The paper includes implications for teaching introductory college physics.     

满意度模型及其在大学生与父母亲子关系研究中的应用

为探索我国大学生群体与父母亲子关系的内在机制,将满意度模型运用到亲子关系这一领域,主要贡献包括三个方面:基于对国内外文献的归纳和提炼,创新性地建立了大学生与父母亲子关系的指标体系;对美国客户满意度模型进行了修改,得到亲子关系满意度模型;以及运用结构方程模型研究亲子关系满意度的内在机制.     

Problem Posing: A Neglected Component in Mathematics Courses for Prospective Elementary and Middle School Teachers

The purpose of this article is to describe a scheme which is designed to guide the prospective teacher beyond the point of proficiency as a student solving given problems. By experiencing several stages of inquiry, the scheme provides a mechanism where by the prospective teacher advances toward assuming the role of a teacher posing his or her own problems. Although the scheme has been developed within the context of a standard mathematics course for preservice teachers, the ideas set forth are equally appropriate for incorporation within a science course for prospective teachers.     

The Effect of a Horseshoe Crab Citizen Science Program on Middle School Student Science Performance and STEM Career Motivation

The purpose of the present quasi‐experimental study was to examine the impact of a horseshoe crab citizen science program on student achievement and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career motivation with 86 (n = 86) eighth‐grade students. The treatment group conducted fieldwork with naturalists and collected data for a professional biologist studying horseshoe crab speciation and a mock survey. The comparison group studied curriculum related to horseshoe crabs in the science classroom. A series of measures related to self‐efficacy, interest, outcome expectations, choice goals, and content knowledge were given to participants before and after the intervention. It was hypothesized that students would report higher motivational beliefs regarding science and show higher levels of achievement following the intervention than the comparison group. Support was shown for most of the hypotheses. In addition, path analyses indicated that students' motivational beliefs influence content knowledge and outcome expectations, which in turn affect their career goals. These results have implications for incorporating authentic fieldwork within a formal school structure as an effective method for promoting student achievement and STEM career motivation.     

Student Academic Self‐Concept and Perception of Classroom Environment in Single‐Sex and Coeducational Middle Grades Mathematics Classes

In this article, we present findings from a study that investigated the relationship between all‐girls classes, all‐boys classes, and coeducational classes on student mathematics self‐concept and student perception of classroom environment. Further, we compared responses of girls in all‐girls classes to girls in coeducational classes and responses of boys in all‐boys classes to boys in coeducational classes. Using the Mathematics Attitude Scale and the What Is Happening in This Class? questionnaire, we found no significant differences in student responses on any of the subscales or domains for any of the subgroups, except for Math as a Male Domain. Our findings indicate that student mathematics self‐concept and student perception of the classroom environment are similar regardless of whether students are in a single‐sex or a coeducational class.     

Music as Embodied Mathematics: A Study of a Mutually Informing Affinity

The argument examined in this paper is that music – when approached through making and responding to coherent musical structures,facilitated by multiple, intuitively accessible representations – can become a learning context in which basic mathematical ideas can be elicited and perceived as relevant and important. Students' inquiry into the bases for their perceptions of musical coherence provides a path into the mathematics of ratio,proportion, fractions, and common multiples. Ina similar manner, we conjecture that other topics in mathematics – patterns of change,transformations and invariants – might also expose, illuminate and account for more general organizing structures in music. Drawing on experience with 11–12 year old students working in a software music/math environment, we illustrate the role of multiple representations, multi-media, and the use of multiple sensory modalities in eliciting and developing students' initially implicit knowledge of music and its inherent mathematics. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.