| 1. |
- Bergwall, Andreas, 1972-
(författare)
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Proof-related reasoning in upper secondary mathematics textbooks : Characteristics, comparisons, and conceptualizations
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Proofs and proving are difficult to learn and difficult to teach. A common problem is that many students use specific examples as evidence for general statements. Difficulties with proofs are also part of the transition problems that exist between secondary and tertiary schooling in mathematics. As mathematics teaching often follows a textbook, the design of textbooks has been pointed out as one possible cause of the problems, and international textbook research suggests that proofs often have only a marginal place in textbooks.This thesis focuses on proofs and proving in upper secondary mathematics textbooks. It also addresses theoretical and methodological questions about what marks an opportunity to develop proving competence, and which properties of such opportunities are relevant to investigate and characterize. The thesis is based on data from four Swedish and Finnish textbook series for upper secondary school, and focuses on sections on logarithms, primitive functions, definite integrals, and combinatorics. It examines how addressed mathematical principles are justified, and whether the textbooks’ exercises offer opportunities to develop proof-related skills such as formulating and investigating hypotheses, developing and evaluating arguments, identifying and correcting errors, and finding counterexamples.The results show that just over half of the mathematical principles addressed in the analyzed textbook material are justified, and that only half of the justifications are general proofs. Few exercises are proof-related (10%), and those that include reasoning about general cases even fewer. General proofs are more common in the Finnish books, but proof-related tasks are more common and of a more varied nature in the Swedish ones. The most common form of proofs are direct derivations of calculation formulas, while reasoning about existence and uniqueness is unusual, as are contrapositive proofs and proofs by contradiction.Based on the results, explicit suggestions are offered as to what teaching can pay more attention to. For the analysis and design of proof-related activities, a framework consisting of four main categories is proposed: develop a statement, investigate a statement, develop an argument, and investigate an argument. Several properties that such activities may have, regardless of which category they belong to, are discussed. Finally, three areas for future research are suggested: how worked examples can support students’ learning of proof, how textbooks can be designed to stimulate formulation as well as the formal proving of hypotheses, and mapping of differences regarding proof between upper secondary and university textbooks.
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| 2. |
- Knutsson, Malin, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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School-based mathematics teacher education in Sweden and Finland : characterizing mentor – prospective teacher discourse
- 2013
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Ingår i: The Eighth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. Feb 6th - Feb 10th, 2013. - Antalya, Turkey. - 9789754293159
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite many similarities between the neighbouring countries Sweden and Finland, prior studies indicate that conceptualizations and discourses about school-based teacher education are very different. In this paper we add to this picture of differences, and contribute to the research discourse about school-based teacher education, by identifying and characterizing aspects of mathematics teaching made relevant in review meetings between mentors and prospective primary teachers. While the Swedish discourse typically focuses on the students’ individual work with textbooks, connections to everyday experiences and teaching as individual supervision, the Finnish discourse emphasizes lesson aims, learning and progression in mathematics through formative assessment and differentiation according to pupils’ abilities
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| 3. |
- Ryve, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Kartläggning av forskning om formativ bedömning, klassrumsundervisning och läromedel i matematik : Delrapport från skolforsk-projektet
- 2015
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The current project focuses on mathematics education, and is partitioned into three subprojects mapping research on formative assessment, classroom teaching, and curriculum programs in mathematics. The rationale for focusing on these three areas is that they are all highly relevant for understanding and improving Swedish mathematics education and students’ knowing of mathematics. Therefore, the aim of the project is to map research on formative assessment, classroom teaching, and curriculum programs in mathematics education.The methodology of the literature review has been inspired by Gough, Oliver, and Thomas (2013), and we have focused on the mapping on journal articles published on Web of Science (WoS).The results from the sample of articles on formative assessment show that strategies of formative assessment in mathematics are positively correlated to students’ performance in mathematics with medium and large effect sizes. However, based on the current mapping it is difficult to specify aspects of how the formative strategies are to be implemented in order to promote students’ knowing of mathematics.Despite the change in perspective of what constitutes knowledge in mathematics to also include reasoning, problem-solving and communication, the map shows that research is mainly focused on examining teaching methods and their effects on students’ skills in mathematics. A closer examination of the studies that do focus on teaching for supporting students in developing competencies like reasoning and problem-solving shows that connections between and comparison of students’ solutions, as well as teachers’ ways of asking questions to support students in explaining their solutions clearly and in detail, are important for students’ learning of these competencies.A central finding stemming from this review of curriculum programs is the complexity involved in how the programs can support teachers in establishing classroom practices. Curriculum resources and teacher resources, as well as other influencing factors, impact the quality of instruction, and studies have begun to point out how curriculum resources and teacher resources uniquely and jointly impact classroom practices. Multiple research articles have expressed the need for teacher support in implementing curriculum programs, by means of professional development, teacher education and support provided by the curriculum programs themselves. Interesting in this regard is the state of the research field concerning the design of educative curriculum programs, and how teachers make use of such support. Studies have proposed design approaches, regarding both the actual development of educative curriculum programs as well as how to use them in teacher education to support prospective teachers’ development of knowledge. Further, although research has revealed that it is important to prepare for teaching in certain ways, we found very little research that explicitly analyzed how teachers actually prepare for teaching a mathematics lesson.Limitations of the project include: (1) the lack of searching in potentially relevant databases, (2) the fact that a relatively small proportion of articles found in the search have been coded, (3) that we have not engaged in deep considerations as to whether and in what ways results from international research are relevant in the Swedish context, and (4) that we therefore have not been able to synthesize the results of the study. In relation to the Swedish context (Hemmi & Ryve, 2014; Boesen et al., 2014), international research (Hattie, 2009; Smith & Stein, 2011), and the current project’s findings, we recommend that Skolforskningsinstitutet focus on two aspects of great importance for developing students’ knowing of mathematics. First, Skolforskningsinstitutet should synthesize research that supports actors, such as teachers and principals, in acting within school practices. In the case of teachers, support is needed to engage them in actively anticipating students’ thinking, using curriculum programs effectively, introducing mathematical content, acting in group work, formatively assessing students’ learning, and orchestrating whole-class mathematical discussions. Secondly, actors within school practices need support not only in initiating and implementing developments but also in institutionalizing such developments. Skolforskningsinstitutet should specify the kind of support needed in order to ensure that material, routines, competences, and organizations become integral and permanent features of Swedish school practice.
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| 4. |
- Ahl, Linda, 1970-
(författare)
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Approaching Curriculum Resources : Examining the potential of textbooks and teacher guides to support mathematics learning and teaching
- 2014
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The driving forces of conducting the two studies presented in this thesis are: the strong position of curriculum resources in the mathematics classroom in general; teachers’ faith in curriculum resources to convey the intentions and goals of mathematics education; and the expected benefits to mathematics education through expanding the knowledge base of research in the area of curriculum resources in general, and teacher guides in particular. This thesis builds upon two studies conducted in Sweden. The first is a study on how teachers use teacher guides. The results of this study could be seen as one piece in the building of a theoretical understanding of how teachers use their tools in planning and enacting teaching. The data for Study I were collected through semi-structured interviews with five early-years mathematics teachers. In advance, the teachers were asked to copy the pages from the teacher guide they had used the week before the interview. The analysis of the interviews shows that less experienced teachers desire a wider scope of content in their teacher guide. More experienced teachers desire support from teaching activities, in the design of teaching in classroom practice. Another interesting result was that all teachers in our study, regardless of prior experience, knowledge, beliefs, etc., want the teacher guide to offer connections between theory and practice. The second study investigates what content is represented in Swedish textbooks. The results of this study map the terrain over how the most commonly used textbooks in Sweden construct the topic of proportion and proportional reasoning. My choice of textbooks is based on a questionnaire among all compulsory school mathematics teachers in the sixth largest municipality in Sweden, revealing that two curriculum resources together covered 97% of the classrooms in Grades 7-9. The study provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses in the presented structure regarding proportional reasoning in the most commonly used textbooks in Swedish lower secondary school. Teachers could use these insights when making decisions about how to use their textbooks, and to possibly reconsider how to organize the enactment of the national curriculum in order to develop deep understanding. The analyses could provide authors of teacher guides and textbooks with valuable information to consider regarding structure and design.
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| 5. |
- Andrews, Paul, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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PISA, TIMSS and Finnish mathematics teaching : an enigma in search of an explanation
- 2014
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Ingår i: Educational Studies in Mathematics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0013-1954 .- 1573-0816. ; 87:1, s. 7-26
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Finnish students’ success on all three content domains of each of the four cycles ofthe OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has created muchinternational interest. It has also prompted Finnish academics to offer systemic explanationstypically linked to the structural qualities of Finnish schooling and teacher education. Lesswell-known has been the modest mathematics performance of Finnish grade 8 students on thetwo Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in which Finland hasparticipated, which, when compared with its PISA successes, has created something of anenigma. In this paper, we attempt to shed light on this enigma through analyses of Finnishmathematics classroom practice that draw on two extant data sets—interviews with Finnishteacher educators and video-recordings of sequences of lessons taught on standard topics. Dueto the international interest in Finnish PISA success, the analyses focus primarily on theresonance between classroom practice and the mathematical literacy component of the PISAassessment framework. The analyses indicate that Finnish mathematics didactics are morelikely to explain the modest TIMSS achievements than PISA successes and allude to severalfactors thought to be unique to the Finns, which, unrelated to mathematics teaching practices,may be contributory to the repeated Finnish PISA successes. Some implications for policyborrowingare discussed.
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| 6. |
- Blomberg, Per
(författare)
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Informell Statistisk Inferens i modelleringssituationer : En studie om utveckling av ett ramverk för att analysera hur elever uttrycker inferenser
- 2015
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med ökad kunskap om lärande och undervisning i informell statistisk inferens. I studien användes en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi inriktad mot prövning och generering av teorier med inspiration av grounded theory. Studiens kunskapsfokus är riktad mot karakterisering av statistiska processer och begrepp där system av begreppsramverk om informell statistisk inferens och modellering utgör en central del av forskningen. För att erhålla adekvat empiri utformades en undervisningssituation där elever engagerades med att planera och genomföra en undersökning. Studien genomfördes i en normal klassrumssituation där undervisningen inriktades mot ett område inom sannolikhet och statistisk där bland annat lådagram och normalfördelning med tillhörande begrepp introduceras. Det empiriska materialet samlades in genom videoinspelning och skriftliga redovisningar. Materialet analyserades genom ett sammansatt ramverk om informell statistisk inferens och modellering. Resultatet av analysen visar exempel på hur elever kan förväntas uttrycka aspekter av informella statistisk inferens då de genomför statistiska undersökningar. Vidare utvecklades ett ramverk som teoretiskt beskriver informell statistisk inferens i modelleringssituationer. Studien pekar på att ISI-modellering har potential att användas för att analysera hur informell statistisk inferens kan komma till uttryck och att identifiera potentiella inlärningsmöjligheter för studenter att utveckla sin förmåga att uttrycka informella statistisk slutledning och att identifiera potentiella inlärningsmöjligheter för elever att utveckla sin förmåga att uttrycka informella inferenser.
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| 7. |
- Brehmer, Daniel, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Catalysts for mathematics teachers’ learning from professional development programmes : a review of 64 journal articles in mathematics education
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In their review, Goldsmith, Doerr and Lewis (2014) note that research on professional development programmes (PDPs) for mathematics teachers mostly concerns whether a programme has affected the teachers’ practice or student learning, while the teachers’ learning is treated as a black box. In light of this, they call for a ‘… shared body of knowledge about the nature of teachers’ learning and the catalysts that support it’ (p. 25). In this article, we examine and map 64 articles from mathematics education journals with respect to prerequisites for learning. From this mapping, we identify and describe catalysts for teacher learning from PDPs for mathematics teachers. These learning catalysts are then used to characterize two different types PDPs, based on which learning catalysts are used in them. Typical of PDPs targeting increased teacher knowledge is that they: emphasize knowledge of content and teaching and knowledge of content and students; manage this content through cooperation; and promote insight and/or body of knowledge as catalysts for learning. Typical of PDPs targeting changed instruction is that they: emphasize knowledge of content and teaching as well as following strategies by doing/experimenting when establishing it in the classroom as a catalyst for learning. Conclusions and implications are discussed.
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| 8. |
- Brehmer, Daniel, 1973-
(författare)
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Problem solving in mathematics textbooks
- 2015
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this study is to analyse how mathematical problem solving (MPS) is represented in mathematical textbooks for Swedish upper secondary school. The analysis comprises dominating Swedish textbook series, and relates to uncovering a) the quantity of tasks that are actually mathematical problems (MPs), b) their location in the chapter, c) their difficulty level, and d) their context. Based on an analysis of 5,722 tasks from the area of calculus, it is concluded that the textbooks themselves contain very few tasks that can be defined as MPs, and that those that are MPs are found at the end of a chapter at the most difficult level, and are presented in a pure mathematical context. Implications are discussed.
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| 9. |
- Brehmer, Daniel, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Problem solving in Swedish mathematics textbooks for upper secondary school
- 2016
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0031-3831 .- 1470-1170. ; 60:6, s. 577-593
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to analyse how mathematical problem solving is represented in mathematical textbooks for Swedish upper secondary school. The analysis comprises dominating Swedish textbook series, and relates to uncovering (a) the quantity of tasks that are actually mathematical problems, (b) their location in the chapter, (c) their difficulty level, and (d) their context. Based on an analysis of 5,722 tasks from the area of calculus, it is concluded that the textbooks themselves contain very few tasks that can be defined as mathematical problems, and that those that are mathematical problems are found at the end of a chapter at the most difficult level, and are presented in a pure mathematical context. Implications are discussed.
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| 10. |
- Brehmer, Daniel, 1973-
(författare)
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Support for mathematics teachers’ change : Examining catalysts for teacher learning and role of the teacher in professional development programmes
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- When the perception changes regarding what mathematics students should be able to manage, this is typically addressed through a new national curriculum. To establish and implement this new curriculum in practice, teachers must be given the opportunity to change according to it. For such change, they need support in interpreting and implementing the new curriculum. Typically, there are two common ways to support teacher change: (1) developing and launching curriculum materials that correspond to the national curriculum; and (2) implementing professional development programmes (PDPs) that correspond to the new national curriculum. This thesis includes both aspects and aims to contribute to research on support for mathematics teachers’ change. This aim is operationalized by: (1) studying mathematics textbooks in which tasks and plausible teaching intentions are analysed; (2) studying teacher agency in collegial discussions in relation to the design of a PDP; and (3) mapping and describing catalysts for teacher learning from PDPs in research literature. These studies resulted in five papers, which are included in this thesis. The main results of the papers cover: the distribution of types of tasks in Swedish mathematics textbooks; the type of learning approach advocated in these textbooks; how different types of texts in PDPs relate to teacher agency in collegial discussions; and an identification and description of catalysts for teacher learning from PDPs for mathematics teachers. In the kappa1 of this thesis, these results are merged and discussed in relation to different models of teacher change. The focus in the kappa is on examining catalysts for teacher learning from such initiatives and the role of the teacher in PDPs. This examination suggests elaborations on parts of a conceptual framework for effective PDPs (Desimone, 2009). More precisely, the elaborations concern core critical features for effective PDPs, presented in this framework: Content Focus, Active Learning, Collective Participation, Duration, and Coherence. The main contributions of this thesis concern: a tool for analysing tasks in textbooks with respect to problem-solving tasks; an organizing frame for mapping learning catalysts from articles describing PDPs; a description of catalysts for teacher learning from PDPs as specifications of core critical features for effective PDPs; and the role of the teacher in PDPs as a catalyst for learning. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.___________________________1The Swedish term kappa will be used in this thesis in the absence of an equivalent English term for the introductory chapters of an aggregation dissertation
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