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Descriptors:
Employees; Numeracy; Mathematics Skills; Job Skills; Apprenticeships; Recall (Psychology); Interviews; Industry; Competence; Computation; Problem Solving; Cognitive Processes; Thinking Skills; Measurement Techniques

Abstract:
Within increasing pressure on young people to perform successfully in work, there is a growing concern regarding their levels of numeracy (and literacy). Whether such concerns are founded is the basis of this paper. This paper reports on the numeracy practices undertaken by three young boatbuilders who were nearing the completion of their 4-year apprenticeship. Using a method of stimulated recall and supplemented with interview data, the numeracy practices enacted by the boatbuilders was documented. It was found that the employees were highly competent in a number of areas--estimation, problem solving, holistic thinking and measuring (formal and informal). These skills are at variance with the basic skills being called for by public and government. It is proposed that the numeracy skills used by the employees may represent significant changes in workplaces being brought about through new technologies, and thus creating new and different numeracy demands from those of previous generations. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Computer Uses in Education; Access to Computers; Preschool Children; Educational Technology; Parents; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Surveys; Family Environment; Computer Literacy; Internet; Play

Abstract:
This paper reports on the outcomes of a survey implemented in a large regional community of Australia. The survey was completed by parents of children aged four-five years and attending local early childhood centres. The survey identified the types of access and use of computers by preschool children. It was found that the children of the respondents had significant access to computers in the home and were skilled in many facets of computer use. Computers were used for a range of activities, some educational and others recreational. Gender differences in computer use were also noted. The study highlights the changing clientele of early childhood settings and the implications for practice in a field where computer technology is often seen as the antithesis of good practice. (Contains 5 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Classroom Communication; Mathematics Instruction; Teaching Methods; Educational Technology; Interaction; Instructional Innovation; Traditional Schools; Audiovisual Aids; Class Activities; Theory Practice Relationship; Educational Quality

Abstract:
Interactive whiteboards (IWB) are an innovation that is gaining considerable presence in many contemporary classrooms. This paper examines the use of IWBs in mathematics classrooms. Using a productive pedagogies framework to analyse classroom videos, it is proposed that the classrooms observed used a restricted approach in their use of IWBs. It was found that they were used for quick introductions to lessons and whole class teaching. They were also teacher directed and fostered shallow learning. Through interviews with the teachers, it was found that the approaches observed were based on assumptions about learners and technology. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Early Childhood Education; Young Children; Family Environment; Teaching Methods; Learning Strategies; Computers; Preschool Education; Age Differences; Educational Technology; Technology; Mass Media Effects; Technology Integration; Child Behavior; Children

Abstract:
This article explores the implications of young learners' dispositions towards the use of digital technologies in contemporary early childhood settings. It is proposed that young learners have grown up in very different social conditions from previous generations, mainly through the saturation of digital technologies, in particular computers. This creates very different learners than previous generations. When educators fail to recognize such differences, there is potential for gaps in learning. This is particularly the case when equity dimensions are considered. It is proposed that early childhood settings need to reconceptualize pedagogy and learning opportunities for the new generation of learners. Drawing on Bourdieu's theoretical project, it is proposed that young learners come to early childhood settings with a digital habitus, which is differentially constructed in the home environment and needs to be considered in early childhood practice. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Teacher Effectiveness; Instructional Effectiveness; Mathematics Instruction; Teaching Methods; Teacher Role; Elementary School Mathematics; Prompting; Student Diversity

Abstract:
The basic unit of school based mathematics teaching is the lesson. This article is a contribution to understanding teacher actions that facilitate successful lessons, defined as those that engage all students, especially those who may sometimes feel alienated from mathematics and schooling, in productive and successful mathematical thinking and learning. An underlying assumption is that lessons can seek to build a sense in the students that their experience has elements in common with the rest of the class and that this can be done through attention to particular aspects of the mathematical and socio-mathematical goals. We examine three teacher actions that address the mathematical goals: using open-ended tasks, preparing prompts to support students experiencing difficulty, and posing extension tasks to students who finish the set tasks quickly; as well as actions that address the socio-mathematical goals by making classroom processes explicit. To illustrate and elaborate these actions, we describe a particular lesson taught to a heterogeneous upper primary (age 11-12) class. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Mathematics Instruction; Ability Grouping; Foreign Countries; Self Concept; Interviews; Teacher Attitudes; Student Attitudes; Educational Practices; Mathematics Skills

Abstract:
Ability grouping is a common practice in many mathematics classrooms. Its negative effects on students have been documented in research spanning two decades or more, and yet it is still widely implemented--in some countries even mandated. Using data from interviews with Australian students in the compulsory years of secondary schooling (14-16 year-olds), and using the theoretical tools offered by Bourdieu, I argue that the objective practices of school mathematics create an environment through which students internalize the practices to develop a sense of self, a "habitus". This "habitus" potentially is more or less empowering, depending on the experiences within these streamed settings. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Preservice Teachers; Practicums; Teaching Experience; Teacher Education Programs; Mathematics Instruction; Student Experience; Interviews; Student Attitudes; Program Effectiveness; Geometry; Pedagogical Content Knowledge; Teaching Methods; Performance Based Assessment

Abstract:
Mathematics teacher education programs are designed with an intention, explicit or implicit, to produce graduates who are competent in both pedagogic knowledge and discipline knowledge. This paper explores students' experiences in coming to learn mathematics and mathematics education. Using an example from a quiz question, supplemented with follow-up interviews with students, the paper raises questions as to the effectiveness of programs that adopt traditional approaches to the teaching of mathematics. It is shown how a functionalist perspective was adopted by many of the preservice teachers, which engendered a reproductive approach to teaching. The data raised concerns about preservice teachers' knowledge of volume, their pedagogic knowledge, and the role of the practicum on their learning. (Contains 1 table and 2 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Young Adults; Job Applicants; Job Placement; Numeracy; Foreign Countries; Mathematics Instruction; Adults; Teachers; Students; Age Differences; Attitudes

Abstract:
This paper presents a summary of the first two years of a large research project investigating the numeracy practices of young people across a range of industries. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data, the project aims to identify the ways in which numeracy practices are perceived and enacted by young people (students in part-time employment, employees and job seekers) and their more senior counterparts (teachers, employers, and job placement officers). This paper presents a description of the project to date and provides exemplars of the data collected in order to demonstrate key findings. [For complete proceedings, see ED489597.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Familiarity; Mathematics Instruction; Mathematics Achievement; Teaching Methods; Learning Processes; Student Characteristics; Educational Environment; Sequential Approach

Abstract:
We are researching actions that teachers can take to improve mathematics learning for all students. Structural elements of the lessons being trialled include making aspects of pedagogy explicit to seek to overcome differences in familiarity with schooling processes, and sequencing tasks with the potential to engage students. This article reports research on teachers building learning communities by preparing variations to set tasks in order to address differences in students' backgrounds. (Contains 4 figures.) [For complete proceedings, see ED489597.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Culturally Relevant Education; Inclusion; Mathematics Instruction; Teaching Methods; Indigenous Populations; Cultural Differences; English (Second Language); Language Usage; Power Structure; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
Many students are unsuccessful in the study of school mathematics, not because of some innate ability, but because of pedagogical practices. Bernstein (1996) has argued that pedagogy serves as a mechanism for cultural reproduction, so that for those students whose cultures are different from that represented in and through pedagogy, the task of constructing school mathematics is made more difficult. The paper explores the ways in which a teacher changes the pedagogic relay in order to be more inclusive of her students. Her practice is informed by understanding the ways in which pedagogy is a subtle tool for marginalization in mathematics. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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