Download or read book The Relationship Between Graphing Calculator Use and the Development of Classroom Norms in an Exemplay Teacher s College Algebra Course written by Sally Sue Gerren and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to advance knowledge about the relationship between graphing calculator use and classroom norm development. An interpretive case study design incorporating qualitative and quantitative research methods was used to explore the question: What happens when an exemplary teacher uses graphing calculators in a college algebra class? The purposively selected participants were the teacher and eleven students of a Texas community college algebra course. All 29 classes of the 14-week spring 2006 semester were observed in their entirety by the researcher. The theoretical frameworks guiding the study were the affective representation system and the Multiple Representations Model of Learning and Teaching with the use of the Mathematics and Science Classroom Observation System for data collection, analysis, and profiling of classroom lessons. Originally developed for grades K-12, the use of the instrument was extended to college algebra. Triangulation of data sources using constant comparative and content analysis methods were used to support the three major findings: (1) The instructor's proactive orchestration of specialized instruction, support materials, and designed activities contributed to the establishment of graphing calculator use as an essential part of classroom norms and promoted students' independent use of the tool; (2) The dynamic and interactive features of the TI-84 Plus graphing calculator facilitated the delivery of instruction at high cognitive levels during student interactive activities providing access to, exploration of, and use of multiple representations for some mathematical concepts and solutions not easily attainable using traditional methods; and (3) Although the majority of students had never used a graphing calculator before the course, all students used the tool at appropriate times during instructional activities, self-reporting that their use of the calculator was generally beneficial for enhancing their understanding of lessons and supporting class interactions. Additionally, all students independently chose to use the calculator during major assessments and reported knowledgeable use of the tool to facilitate improved test performance. Replication of the study is limited because the norms developed in this case are unique to the teacher and students who negotiated their establishment. Suggestions are given regarding educational policies, reform practices, and research extensions.

Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2009-04 with total page 564 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Impact of Handheld Graphing Calculator Use on Student Achievement in Algebra 1 written by Joan I. Heller and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study investigated the relationship between instructional use of handheld graphing calculators and student achievement in Algebra 1. Three end-of-course test forms were administered (without calculators) using matrix sampling to 458 high-school students in two suburban school districts in Oregon and Kansas. Test questions on two forms were drawn from Texas and Massachusetts publicly-released standardized test items, and the third form was custom-designed to emphasize conceptual understanding and math applications. All classes used Key Curriculum Press's "Discovering Algebra" textbook. Results showed that the more access students had graphing calculators, and the more instructional time in which graphing calculators were used, the higher the test scores. In addition, scores were significantly higher where teachers reported receiving professional development on how to use a graphing calculator in math instruction. Appended are: (1) Teacher Survey; (2) Classroom Survey; (3) End-of-Course Algebra Test Form T; (4) End-of-Course Algebra Test Form M; and (5) End-of-Course Algebra Test Form C. (Contains 19 tables.) [This work was also funded by Key Curriculum Press.].

Download or read book Beliefs and Classroom Practices of Teachers who Persist in the Use of Graphing Calculators in the Teaching of High School Algebra written by Martha Eleanor VanCleave and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study investigated the beliefs and classroom practices of four teachers who had used graphing calculators in their teaching for a minimum of three years prior to the study and at least one prior year in the teaching of second year algebra. The persistence criteria, prior experience utilizing graphing calculators in their teaching, was designed to provide an investigation of established beliefs and practices. A case study approach involving detailed examination of the four teachers was used. The data collected and analyzed included interviews, observational fieldnotes, videotapes of classroom observations, and documents. Upon the completion of data collection detailed descriptions of the beliefs and classroom practices of the individual teachers were created. Additional analysis included exploration of the consistencies and discrepancies within individual teacher's beliefs and practices, exploration of the consistencies among teachers, and comparisons of teachers' professed beliefs and demonstrated practices to the constructivist theory and visions for the use of graphing calculators. A high degree of consistency was found between the teachers' beliefs and classroom practices, both when graphing calculators were in use and when they were not. Particularly notable were the consistency between the espoused belief in the importance of assisting students in making connections and the observed emphasis on connections between concepts being presented and concepts previously explored. It was found that teachers' experiences outside of the classroom, especially interaction with other teachers, played a significant role in the process of bringing beliefs and practices into agreement. These experiences served as factors in development of beliefs and practices and as stimulators for reflection, the central element in the process of developing an integrated structure of beliefs and practices. The use of graphing calculators was found to focus on learning to use the tool to do mathematics and not as a tool to learn mathematics. While the focus on using the graphing calculator as a tool to do mathematics was not consistent with the constructivist approach to teaching and the visions for the use of graphing calculators, it was consistent with the teachers' view of algebra as the foundation for the study of higher mathematics.

Download or read book Graphics Calculators in Developmental Mathematics policies and Practice written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of Tennessee community college full-time developmental mathematics instructors' classroom graphics calculator usage (percent of class time) and various personal and professional descriptors of those instructors and the graphics calculator policies at each college: number of years of full-time teaching at community college level, number of years teaching mathematics, level of education, amount of formal (workshop or class participant) professional development with graphics calculators, brand of graphics calculator used by their college, percentage of time a graphics calculator is used in the classroom for calculations, percentage of time a graphics calculator is used in the classroom to depict algebra graphically or numerically (table), percentage of time the graphics calculator is used in each developmental mathematics course (Basic Mathematics, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra), gender, academic rank, number of years their college has used graphics calculators for developmental mathematics, and the graphics calculator policy (not allowed, no policy, recommended, required) at each college for each of the developmental mathematics courses (Basic Mathematics, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra). Data was collected from Tennessee community college mathematics department heads and full-time mathematics faculty members who taught at least one developmental mathematics course each semester (fall and spring) during 2002. The two data collecting instruments were a forced-choice, web-based survey of developmental mathematics instructors and an email-based department head questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and a Spearman correlation coefficient matrix were used for statistical analyses of the data to answer the six (6) research questions in relation to the thirteen (13) instructor survey questions with included comments and the four (4) department head questionnaire questions. If an instructor were depicted as having all the traits of the majority of the participants' responses, the following would be "the" Tennessee community college developmental mathematics instructor. This instructor would be a female Associate Professor (fully promoted) with a Masters Degree. She would have been a full-time college faculty member for 15 years or less and would have been teaching mathematics 16 or more years. She would have had 20 or less contact hours of professional development with graphics calculators, and she would used a Texas Instruments graphics calculator in the classroom 0% - 20% of the time. The correlation matrix indicated the following significant relationships: instructors' brand of graphics calculator used and instructors' frequency of graphics calculator usage for all categories (calculations, depicting algebra graphically and numerically (table), and calculator use in Basic Mathematics, Elementary Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra), and instructors' amount of formal professional development correlated with all frequency of use categories. Analysis of data from the correlation matrix indicated some significant relationships. Significant correlations emerged from the correlation matrix: among all frequency of use categories, between instructors' years teaching mathematics and years as a full-time community college faculty member, instructors' years teaching mathematics and academic rank, instructors' years as a full-time community college faculty member and academic rank, instructors' highest degree earned and academic rank, instructors' highest degree earned and contact hours of formal (workshop or class participant) professional development, instructors' contact hours of formal workshop professional development and brand of graphics calculator used, instructors' contact hours of formal workshop professional development and gender, instructors' contact hours of formal workshop professional development and academic rank, and instructors' brand of graphics calculator used and academic rank. Calculator usage policies were derived from the department head responses. Five colleges indicated they have never used graphics calculators in developmental mathematics and six colleges indicated they have used graphics calculators in developmental mathematics for nine or more years. Like results from analysis of department head questionnaire responses, the comments painted a mural of diversity in choices and thoughts on the use or non-use of graphics calculators in developmental mathematics. The six trends that emerged from participant comments included the following categories: algebra prior to calculator, Basic Mathematics, Elementary Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra; caution; clarification; explanation of use; negative, no use, or limited use; and other questions, topics, and uses. The category, explanation of use, with participants providing an explanation of how they and/or their colleagues use calculators at their colleges was the trend most (10) mentioned; and the category, negative, no use, or limited use, with participants indicating personal, professional, or departmental choices of not using or limiting the use of graphics calculators was next, with eight comments.

Download or read book The Impact of Using Technology on Student Achievement written by Barbara Renee Buckner and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of TI-Nspire graphing calculator use on student achievement and on teacher behavior variables of planning, teaching, and assessing. This study investigated the teaching of functions by teachers using the TI-Nspire graphing calculator versus teachers using a non-graphing scientific calculator. A review of the literature found that the emergence of calculators and computers has changed the way mathematics is both done and used (Ellington, 2006; Thorpe, 1989; & Kieran, 1992). Research also showed that students can effectively use a graphing calculator as an instructional tool to make and understand different types of representations (Choi-Koh, 2003; Colgan, 1993; and Drijvers & Doorman, 1996). Other studies have shown how graphing calculator use has engaged students in higher level thinking skills (Dessart, DeRidder, Charleen, & Ellington, 1999; Ellington, 2006; Graham & Thomas, 1998; Keller & Hirsch, 1998; Huntley, Rasmussen, Villarubi, Sangtong, & Fey, 2000; & Ronau et al., 2008). Since it is a relatively new tool, there is a limited amount of research on the classroom use of the TI-Nspire. The TI-Nspire is designed to link together multiple-representations within a single problem, so the concept of functions is an ideal context within which to study the impact of the TI-Nspire. This was a quasi-experimental study. The researcher gathered and analyzed pretest, post-test, and post post-test data on student performance on function concepts. The study included a 90 minute classroom observation of each class as well as document analysis of weekly questionnaires, daily lesson plans, and daily assessments. Vignettes employed classroom observations, document analysis, and thick description to triangulate the results of the qualitative analysis. During the summer prior to this study, all teachers attended 12 hours of training over the course of two days with a National Texas Instruments Instructor in which they were trained to use the TI-Nspire graphing calculator. Teachers were then given a TINspire, TI-Nspire emulator and access to online Atomic learning video training (Atomic Learning, 2011), to continue their exploration of the TI-Nspire. The week prior to the study, the teachers attended another day of professional development activity taught by a Texas Instruments Trained Cadre member. This "Function Focused Session" was six hours long and provided review on the TI-Nspire, specific training about teaching the function concept with the TI-Nspire, and time to create lesson plans and activities for this study. During the two weeks of treatment and two weeks of follow up, teachers met once a week for "Weekly Touchdown Sessions" a 90 minute meeting held after school to complete a weekly questionnaire, turn in lesson plans, assessments, and receive further professional development on the TI-Nspire. Providing a trained Texas Instruments Instructor on a weekly basis to answer questions, assist in providing direction for the following week, and meeting weekly with the teachers to complete questionnaires were vital strategies necessary to support teachers with this new technology tool and to assure their fidelity in treatment implementation and control maintenance. All professional development sessions were taught by Texas Instruments trained Instructors. The results from four teachers, each with one treatment class using the TI-Nspire and one control class using a non-graphing scientific calculator, were significant on the pre-test with the control group having a higher mean score than the treatment group and statistical significance on the post post-test with the treatment group having a higher mean score than the control group. While there was a statistically significant effect of Teacher Zeta on the post-post test in comparisons with the other teachers, most of the teacher effect was controlled for within the design of the study. To control for teacher effect, all teachers taught both a treatment and a control class. For each teacher, one of their two algebra classes was randomly assigned to treatment and the other was then assigned to control. There was not enough power in the data to properly analyze the effect of socioeconomic status and special education. This study supports the use of TI-Nspire graphing calculators in Algebra classrooms while studying the concept of functions. This study shows that, while using the TI-Nspire graphing calculator, the use of multiple representations and higher Depth of Knowledge activities can be used to improve student achievement, and impact classroom teaching, and lesson planning. While this study shows the impact of the TI-Nspire graphing calculator for the concept of functions, further research is needed to continue evaluating the impact of the TI-Nspire across additional mathematics topics.

Download or read book How Students Think When Doing Algebra written by Steve Rhine and published by IAP. This book was released on 2018-11-01 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Algebra is the gateway to college and careers, yet it functions as the eye of the needle because of low pass rates for the middle school/high school course and students’ struggles to understand. We have forty years of research that discusses the ways students think and their cognitive challenges as they engage with algebra. This book is a response to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ (NCTM) call to better link research and practice by capturing what we have learned about students’ algebraic thinking in a way that is usable by teachers as they prepare lessons or reflect on their experiences in the classroom. Through a Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) grant, 17 teachers and mathematics educators read through the past 40 years of research on students’ algebraic thinking to capture what might be useful information for teachers to know—over 1000 articles altogether. The resulting five domains addressed in the book (Variables & Expressions, Algebraic Relations, Analysis of Change, Patterns & Functions, and Modeling & Word Problems) are closely tied to CCSS topics. Over time, veteran math teachers develop extensive knowledge of how students engage with algebraic concepts—their misconceptions, ways of thinking, and when and how they are challenged to understand—and use that knowledge to anticipate students’ struggles with particular lessons and plan accordingly. Veteran teachers learn to evaluate whether an incorrect response is a simple error or the symptom of a faulty or naïve understanding of a concept. Novice teachers, on the other hand, lack the experience to anticipate important moments in the learning of their students. They often struggle to make sense of what students say in the classroom and determine whether the response is useful or can further discussion (Leatham, Stockero, Peterson, & Van Zoest 2011; Peterson & Leatham, 2009). The purpose of this book is to accelerate early career teachers’ “experience” with how students think when doing algebra in middle or high school as well as to supplement veteran teachers’ knowledge of content and students. The research that this book is based upon can provide teachers with insight into the nature of a student’s struggles with particular algebraic ideas—to help teachers identify patterns that imply underlying thinking. Our book, How Students Think When Doing Algebra, is not intended to be a “how to” book for teachers. Instead, it is intended to orient new teachers to the ways students think and be a book that teachers at all points in their career continually pull of the shelf when they wonder, “how might my students struggle with this algebraic concept I am about to teach?” The primary audience for this book is early career mathematics teachers who don’t have extensive experience working with students engaged in mathematics. However, the book can also be useful to veteran teachers to supplement their knowledge and is an ideal resource for mathematics educators who are preparing preservice teachers.

Download or read book Teacher Beliefs Concerning the Use of Graphing Calculators in the Teaching of Logarithmic Functions in a Community College College Algebra Course written by Perian Meharg Herring and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Implementation of Graphing Calculator in Intermediate Algebra with Function Approach in Community College written by Nataliya Reznichenko and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major goal of this paper is to document changes that occurred in developmental mathematics classrooms in the community college setting when the graphing calculator (GC) Texas Instruments (TI)-83 was introduced to students. The six-week intervention was conducted during the section of Intermediate Algebra in the Community College Baltimore County (CCBC)-Essex. To measure the effect of GC on student achievement in Intermediate Algebra class, a pretest/post-test and statistical paired t-test (one-tailed) were conducted. To measure student attitudes regarding the use of GC throughout the intervention, pre/post-surveys and statistical paired t-tests (one-tailed) were conducted. The results of the intervention show that there is a significant gain in student achievement and a gain in student attitude toward GC in Intermediate Algebra class with the use of GC. Appended are: (1) Survey Collaborative; and (2) Attitudes toward graphing calculators (GC) in mathematics learning questionnaire. (Contains 2 tables.).

Download or read book Impact of Calculators on Mathematics Instruction written by George W. Bright and published by University Press of America. This book was released on 1994 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From a May 1992 conference in Houston, 11 papers reflect on how calculators do and might influence the teaching of mathematics, and make recommendations for future efforts to integrate them into the curriculum. Among the topics are inservice training for teachers, the graphing calculator in pre-algebra courses, supercalculators in undergraduate mathematics, and surveys and assessments from various systems and levels. No index. Paper edition (unseen), $21.50. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Download or read book The Effects of Using the Graphing Calculator in a College Algebra Class written by Mary Elizabeth Lennon and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Use of Graphing Calculators with Symbolic Calculations on Performance Gains in a College Algebra Class written by Soner Durmus and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 23 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More sophisticated graphing calculators available for college students can be incorporated into college algebra classes to result a higher student achievement. For this purpose, in this study 117 college students were randomly assigned into either experimental groups where students were allowed to the use of graphing calculators or control groups where the traditional lecture format was given. Pre-and-post measurements were made on students' algebra knowledge in two levels: action and process levels. Action questions were routine, basic, and conceptual questions, whereas process questions were high level, procedural questions. Result indicated that regardless of initial differences, the average and process pre- to post-treatment gain of students in the experimental group was significantly higher than in the control group. There was no significant difference detected between the groups in terms of action gain. Suggestions for future research were discussed. (Contains 5 tables.).

Download or read book The Role of Graphing Calculators in Students Algebraic Thinking written by Sandy Margaret Spitzer and published by ProQuest. This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chapter 1 provides a review of the literature on the effects of using graphing calculators on students' mathematics achievement. General findings suggest that calculators can have a positive effect on students' performance on assessments. In particular, students using graphing calculators seem to do better on some types of problems, such as those requiring translation between different representations of a function, and perform about the same as students without calculators on procedural symbolic-manipulation problems. In order to identify possible mechanisms for these changes, the chapter explores four possible reasons for students' improved performance: improved representational fluency, wider repertoire of solution strategies, increased reification of mathematical concepts, and changes in classroom processes. While the general trend of improved achievement appears robust, none of the four hypothesized reasons for improvement were substantiated by enough data to be confirmed. While it appears that the basic effects of graphing calculators are relatively well determined, mechanisms for those effects are poorly understood. Chapter 2 presents the result of a study whose goal was to investigate how the presence of graphing calculator technology influences the mathematical ideas that students encounter while solving algebra problems. Thirty-three Algebra II students, divided randomly into two conditions, participated in task-based interviews. In one condition, students were encouraged to solve algebra problems using their graphing calculator, and in the other condition, students solved the same problems with no access to technology. Results indicate that when students used graphing calculators, they were more likely to interpret letters as variables rather than fixed unknowns, used a wider range of strategies, were more likely to use more than one strategy to solve a problem, and expressed deeper levels of conceptual understanding. The differences in conceptual understanding and interpretation of letters were strongly related to the types of strategies that students used to solve problems, with graphing and tables encouraging more sophisticated interpretations and evidence of conceptual understanding.

Download or read book Using Graphing Calculators in the Mathematics Classroom written by Jane Ah Jin Lee and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study investigated teachers' conceptions of mathematics and their teaching practices with respect to the use of graphing calculators in their mathematics classrooms. Case studies on three teacher participants were developed using quantitative and qualitative data that consisted of self-assessments on beliefs in mathematics, observations, surveys on professional and personal technology use, and semi-structured interviews. All three teachers viewed mathematics as a dynamic field, emphasized understanding concepts as opposed to mechanical procedures, and preferred the construction and understanding of the concept over the memorization of procedures. All three teachers were willing to use graphing calculators in the mathematics classroom and all three had a similar goal of attempting to use the graphing calculators to eliminate mechanical processing time and enhance their students' ability to construct their own learning. The evidence from the study suggests that these teacher's practices, with respect to the use of graphing calculators in the mathematics classroom, are influenced by how proficient their students are at using this technology and how accessible the technology is. There were five major findings from the study: (1) if the mechanics of operating a graphing calculator involve at least as much mental effort as the mechanics involved in pencil and paper work, then using the graphing calculator will not free up students so that they can concentrate on constructing their own knowledge and understanding of mathematical concepts or solving more complex problems; (2) when mechanical operating issues are overcome, introducing graphing calculators into the mathematics classroom aids teachers in helping students construct their own mathematical knowledge by allowing all students to begin at a common starting point; (3) to obtain the full benefits of having students learn with the graphing calculators in the mathematics classroom, teachers must require students to use the graphing calculators when they are being evaluated; (4) teachers will determine for themselves where graphing calculators can be most appropriately used in the curriculum; and (5) teachers require strategies that will allow them to successfully deal with managing the day-to-day difficulties involved in using technological instruments such as the graphing calculator in the classroom. Implications for future study include how we can help those teachers inexperienced with the use of technology to incorporate the use of technology in their classrooms, how we need to address the need for consistent teaching practices throughout the intermediate, secondary and post-secondary levels, and how future case studies can be coded to reflect more precisely the language used by teachers to question students in the classroom. Suggestions for educators to consider when using graphing calculators in the mathematics classroom are given at the end of the study.

Download or read book Graphing Calculators in College Calculus written by Susan Dale Barton and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study examined classroom instructional practices and teacher's professed conceptions about teaching and learning college calculus in relationship to the implementation of scientific-programmable-graphics (SPG) calculators. The study occurred at a university not affiliated with any reform project. The participants were not the catalysts seeking to implement calculus reform, but expressed a willingness to teach the first quarter calculus course with the SPG calculator. The research design was based on qualitative methods using comparative case studies of five teachers. Primary data were collected through pre-school interviews and weekly classroom observations with subsequent interviews. Teachers' profiles were established describing general conceptions of teaching calculus, instructional practices, congruence between conceptions and practice, conceptions about teaching using SPG calculators, instructional practice with SPG calculators, and the relationship of conceptions and practice with SPG calculators. Initially, all the teachers without prior experience using SPG calculators indicated concern and skepticism about the usefulness of the technology in teaching calculus and were uncertain how to utilize the calculator in teaching the calculus concepts. During the study the teachers became less skeptical about the calculator's usefulness and found it effective for illustrating graphs. Some of the teachers' exams included more conceptual and graphically-oriented questions, but were not significantly different from traditional exams. Findings indicated the college teachers' conceptions of teaching calculus were generally consistent with their instructional practice when not constrained by time. The teachers did not perceive a dramatic change in their instructional practices. Rather, the new graphing approach curriculum and technology were assimilated into the teachers' normal teaching practices. No major shifts in the role of the teachers were detected. Two teachers demonstrated slight differences in their roles when the SPG calculators were used in class. One was a consultant to the students as they used the SPG calculators; the other became a fellow learner as the students presented different features on the calculator. Use of the calculator was influenced by several factors: inexperience with the calculator, time constraints, setting up the classroom display calculator, preferred teaching styles and emphasis, and a willingness to risk experimenting with established teaching practices and habits.

Download or read book The Effect of Graphing Calculators and A Three Core Representation Curriculum on College Students Learning of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential benefits of a multi-representational curriculum on studentsâ€TM understanding of and connections among graphical, tabular, and symbolic representations of algebraic concepts. The participants of the study were 113 college students enrolled in developmental college algebra at a southern university. This study utilized a quasi-experimental design in which instructors taught the course from a scripted algebraic perspective while the researcher taught the course from a functional approach simultaneously introducing multiple representations. The effect of a three-core representation curriculum on student success was assessed with a pretests and posttests of nine problems, with three representations; algebraic, graphical, and numerical. Also used were pretests and posttests of ten calculator knowledge questions. The problems were chosen because of their prevalence in most developmental college algebra curricula. The three-core representation curriculum was more successful in increasing student achievement. Students from the three-core representation curriculum scored significantly higher and were significantly more adept in using representational methods other than algebraic to solve the problem. This research showed that a multi-representational curriculum could be effective in expanding studentsâ€TM web of connected knowledge of algebraic and functional concepts.

Download or read book The Utilization of Graphing Calculators in Algebra I Instruction for Low SES Students written by Edna Horton Flores and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) asserts that a goal of mathematics education, in Prekindergarten through grade 12, is to develop mathematical power for all students, and that educational equity is the nucleus of this goal. Nevertheless, researchers have found that equity for all students in mathematics education has not been fully realized. African American students, especially those of low socioeconomic status (SES), are consistently shortchanged in the mathematics education they receive. According to NCTM, calculators can enhance the achievement of equity in mathematics education. The usage of graphing calculators in the teaching and learning of mathematics is advocated by NCTM and the National Research Council. A plethora of research shows that the use of graphing calculators has positive effects on students learning mathematics. Numerous studies have focused on the use of graphing calculators in secondary school mathematics. In particular, research has been conducted on the use of graphing calculators in Algebra I and Algebra II. A vast majority of students in these studies were White. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the use of graphing calculators in the teaching and learning of Algebra I for low-SES African American students. Specifically, this study investigated the similarities/difference in instruction, where graphing calculators were used and where they were not used, of a ninth-grade Algebra I unit on linear functions. This study used data from observations, interviews, and documents to examine teachers intended and implemented curriculum. Findings showed that teachers who used graphing calculators in instruction made connections between the different representations of functions. Teachers who did not use graphing calculators did not make connections between various ways to represent linear functions. Characteristics of standards-based instruction were observed in both groups.