| 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. |
- Bergwall, Andreas, 1972-
(författare)
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A geometric evolution problem
- 2002
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Ingår i: Quarterly of Applied Mathematics. - : American Mathematical Society (AMS). - 0033-569X .- 1552-4485. ; 60:1, s. 37-73
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A traditional approach to compression moulding of polymers involves the study of a generalized Hele-Shaw flow of a power-law fluid, and leads to the p-Poisson equation for the instantaneous pressure in the fluid. By studying the convex dual of an equivalent extremal problem, one may let the power-law index of the fluid tend to zero. The solution of the resulting extremal problem, referred to as the asymptotically dual problem, is known to have the property that the flow is always directed towards the closest point on the boundary. In this paper we use this property to introduce the concept of boundary velocity in the case of piecewise C2 domains with only convex corners, and we also give an explicit solution to the asymptotically dual problem in this case. This involves the study of certain topological properties of the ridge of planar domains.With use of the boundary velocity, we define a geometric evolution problem and the concept of classical solutions of it. We prove a uniqueness theorem and use a comparison principle to study the persistence of corners. We actually estimate "waiting times" for corners, in terms of geometric quantities of the initial domain.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Bergwall, Andreas, 1972-
(författare)
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Conceptualizing reasoning-and-proving opportunities in textbook expositions : Cases from secondary calculus
- 2017
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Tenth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME10, February 1-5, 2017). - Dublin, Ireland : European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. - 9781873769737 ; , s. 91-98
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several recent textbook studies focus on opportunities to learn reasoning-and-proving. They typically investigate the extent to which justifications are general proofs and what opportunities exist for learning important elements of mathematical reasoning. In this paper, I discuss how a particular analytical framework for this might be refined. Based on an in-depth analysis of certain textbook passages in upper secondary calculus textbooks, I make an account for analytical issues encountered during this process and identify aspects of reasoning-and-proving in textbooks that might be missed unless the framework is refined. Among them there are characterizations of generality, use of different representations, logical and mathematical structure, and ordering of material and student activities. Finally, implications beyond textbook research are discussed.
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| 7. |
- Bergwall, Andreas, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Kollegialt lärande i matematikämnet på Tullängsgymnasiet : Slutrapport från KLiMaT-projektet
- 2022
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- KLiMaT-projektet är en del av Örebro kommuns skolutvecklingssatsning Topp 25 2025 och har haft som syfte att producera kunskap om hur effektivt och ändamålsenligt kollegialt lärande kan organiseras och genomföras i matematikämnet. Det specifika ändamålet har varit att lärare ska kunna möta elevers olika behov. Åtta matematiklärare på Tullängsgymnasiets teknikprogram har utvecklat en problembank med utmanande introduktions- och fördjupningsuppgifter i matematik. Två forskare från Örebro universitet har varit knutna till projektet.Projektet har organiserats i samråd mellan lärarna, forskarna och skolledningen och har under projekttiden anpassats efter de lokala förutsättningarna. Viktiga utgångspunkter har varit lärdomar från KLÖS-projektet och från Matematiklyftet. Allt arbete har dokumenterats och kompletterats med intervjuer med deltagande lärare. Nedan sammanfattas de viktigaste lärdomarna.Att ge lärare möjlighet att tillsammans utveckla uppgifter med det uttalade syftet att de ska utmana alla elever, har potential att utveckla lärares beredskap att möta elevernas olika behov. Men för att det kollegiala lärandet ska bli effektivt, ändamålsenligt och hållbart över tid, så är ett antal förutsättningar avgörande:• Dedikerad tid: Lärarna behöver stöd i form av tid. Den ska finnas på schemat och aldrig konkurrera med andra arbetsuppgifter.• Relevans: Lärarna behöver få fokusera på sådant som är relevant i närtid för deras egen undervisningspraktik. Detta kan möjliggöras genom att de får arbeta tillsammans med kollegor med liknande undervisningsuppgifter och genom att de själva får välja inriktning på utvecklingsarbetet.• Ämneslag: Det är en stor fördel om lärarna är organiserade i ämneslag. Då har de ämnesdidaktiska samtalen en reell möjlighet att leva vidare även i dagliga informella möten lärare emellan.• Deltagande: Alla lärare på skolan bör alltid vara delaktiga i kollegialt lärande.• Långsiktighet: Innehåll, mål och genomförande i/för/av kollegialt lärande bör diskuteras/beslutas/organiseras med god framförhållning och åtminstone i ett läsårsperspektiv.• Ledare: För att arbetet ska bli fokuserat och systematiskt behöver någon ha en uttalad ledarroll. Det är en fördel om den personen finns utanför lärargruppen.Dessa förutsättningar är troligen viktiga oavsett undervisningsämne och ändamål. Det de har gemensamt är att de inte kan uppfyllas av lärarna själva. Det är rektor/skolledning som aktivt och kontinuerligt måste se till att de realiseras. Med utgångspunkt från lärarnas egna tankar ger vi förslag på en modell för genomförande av kollegialt lärande med potential att uppfylla dessa förutsättningar.När det gäller det specifika ändamålet att möta alla elevers olika behov i matematikundervisningen så visar det här projektet att arbetet stödjs av att lärarna gemensamt utarbetar verktyg, uppgiftsanalysverktyg och observationsprotokoll i KLiMaT, som• sätter fokus på, karaktäriserar och kan användas för att analysera centrala egenskaper hos de aktiviteter som ska utvecklas,• synliggör dilemman och motsättningar mellan de olika mål man vill uppnå.I KLiMaT har det kollegiala lärandet kring matematikundervisning resulterat i en problembank med 13 utmanande uppgifter, kopplade till kurserna Matematik 1c, 2c, 3c, 4 och 5, som på sikt kommer att bli tillgänglig för andra lärare via en webplattform.
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| 8. |
- Bergwall, Andreas, 1972-
(författare)
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On a generality framework for proving tasks
- 2015
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Ninth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education. - Prague : Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Education and ERME. - 9788072908448 ; , s. 86-92
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper I present an analytic framework for generality in textbook proving tasks that involve functions. The framework is discussed in relation to results obtained when analysing tasks in integral calculus. The results show that the frameworks’ categories are easily distinguishable if the functions are explicitly described. The results are also promising regarding the possibility to clarify differences between textbooks. The analysed sections exemplify that there is not necessarily a correlation between the number of general proving tasks and the opportunities for students to engage in reasoning about arbitrary functions. Limitations and possible refinements of the framework are also discussed.
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| 9. |
- Bergwall, Andreas, 1972-
(författare)
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Proof-related reasoning in upper secondary school : characteristics of Swedish and Finnish textbooks
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0020-739X .- 1464-5211. ; 52:5, s. 731-751
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite the central role of proofs in mathematics, research often shows that school textbooks offer limited support for the teaching and learning of proof-related reasoning. This study contributes to this field of research by studying Swedish and Finnish upper secondary textbooks on logarithms and combinatorics. Justifications in expository sections are analysed and students' tasks are categorized according to the type and nature of reasoning they require. The findings imply that opportunities to learn proof-related reasoning are few, and are more oriented towards deductive reasoning in Finnish textbooks and towards empirical reasoning and conjecturing in Swedish textbooks. The results are discussed in relation to similar studies from both Scandinavian and United States contexts, and address future research and development of the theoretical framing of proof-related reasoning.
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| 10. |
- Bergwall, Andreas, 1972-
(författare)
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Students’ arguments about the growth of a two-variable function
- 2023
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Thirteenth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME13). - : Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics / ERME. - 9789637031045 ; , s. 2275-2282
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Calculus is a central part of the curriculum for tertiary educations in mathematics, science, and technology. At its core lies the concept of derivative, which is known to be problematic for many students. As the corresponding multi-variable concepts of partial derivative, gradient, and directional derivative are not mathematically equivalent, it is essential for students to learn their relations and what they represent geometrically. In this paper, 20 students’ written solutions to an exam problem about the growth of a two-variable function are studied. The warrants they present for their claims are characterized in terms of which representations, concepts, connections, and calculations they use. The findings indicate that students who solve the problem by calculation of directional derivatives are less explicit with their warrants than students who rely on properties of the gradient vector. While the first group only uses algebraic representations, the second combines algebraic and graphical representations.
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