Studies in Mathematical Thinking and Learning
2 total works
The National Center for Improving Student Learning in Mathematics and Science--established in 1996 as a research center and funded by the U.S. Department of Education--was instrumental in developing instructional practices supportive of high student achievement in and understanding of mathematics and science concepts. NCISLA researchers worked with teachers, students, and administrators to construct learning environments that exemplify current research and theory about effective learning of mathematics and science. The careful programs of research conducted examined how instructional content and design, assessment, professional development, and organizational support can be designed, implemented, and orchestrated to support the learning of all students. This book presents a summary of the concepts, findings, and conclusions of the Center's research from 1996-2001.
In the Introduction, the chapters in Understanding Mathematics and Science Matters are situated in terms of the reform movement in school mathematics and school science. Three thematically structured sections focus on, respectively, research directed toward what is involved when students learn mathematics and science with understanding; research on the role of teachers and the problems they face when attempting to teach their students mathematics and science with understanding; and a collaboration among some of the contributors to this volume to gather information about classroom assessment practices and organizational support for reform.
The goal of this book is to help educational practitioners, policymakers, and the general public to see the validity of the reform recommendations, understand the recommended guidelines, and to use these to transform teaching and learning of mathematics and science in U.S. classrooms.
The Impact of Reform Instruction on Student Mathematics Achievement
by Thomas A Romberg and Mary C. Shafer
Summarizing data derived from a four-year combined longitudinal/ cross-sectional comparative study of the implementation of one standards-based middle school curriculum program, Mathematics in Context, this book demonstrates the challenges of conducting comparative longitudinal research in the reality of school life.
The study was designed to answer three questions:
- What is the impact on student performance of the Mathematics in Context instructional approach, which differs from most conventional mathematics texts in both content and expected pedagogy?
- How is this impact different from that of traditional instruction on student performance?
- What variables associated with classroom instruction account for variation in student performance?
The researchers examined a range of variables that affected data collection. These variations highlight the need to study the effects of the culture in which student learning is situated when analyzing the impact of standards-based curricula on student achievement.
This book is directed to educational researchers interested in curriculum implementation, mathematics educators interested in the effects of using reform curriculum materials in classrooms, evaluators and research methodologists interested in structural modeling and scaling of instructional variables, and educational policy makers concerned about reform efforts.