The Effect of Calculator-Based Ranger Activities
on Studentsā Graphing Ability
Oh Nam Kwon
Ewha Womans University
Middle school students can learn to communicate with graphs in the
context of appropriate Calculator-Based Ranger (CBR) activities. Three
issues about CBR activities on graphing abilities were addressed in this
study: (a) the effect of CBR activities on graphing abilities; (b) the
extent to which prior knowledge about graphing skills affects graphing
ability; (c) the influence of instructional styles on studentsā graphing
abilities. Following the use of CBR activities, studentsā graphing abilities
were significantly more developed in three components ö interpreting, modeling,
and transforming. Prior knowledge of graphing skills on the Cartesian coordinate
plane had little effect on studentsā understanding of graphs. Significant
differences, however, were found in studentsā achievement, depending on
instructional styles related to differentiation, which is closely connected
to transforming distance-time graphs to velocity-time graphs. The result
of this study indicates that the CBR activities are pedagogically promising
for enhancing graphing ability of physical phenomena.
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Construction of Teacher Knowledge in Context:
Preparing Elementary Teachers to Teach Mathematics and Science
Norene Vail Lowery
University of Houston
The purpose of this study was to further the understanding of how preservice
teachers construct teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge
of elementary mathematics and science in a school-based setting and the
extent of knowledge construction. Evidence of knowledge construction
(its acquisition, its dimensions, and the social context) was collected
through the use of a qualitative methodology. The methods course was content-specific
with instruction in elementary mathematics and science. Learning
experiences were based on national standards with a constructivist instructional
approach and immediate access to field experiences. Analysis and
synthesis of data revealed an extensive acquisition of teacher knowledge
and pedagogical content knowledge. Learning venues were discovered
to be the conduits of learning in a situated learning context. As in this
study, content-specific, school-based experiences may afford preservice
teachers greater opportunities to focus on content and instructional strategies
at deeper levels; to address anxieties typically associated with the teaching
of elementary mathematics and science; and to become more confident and
competent teachers. Gains in positive attitudes and confidence in teaching
mathematics and science were identified as direct results of this experience.
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Mathematics Anxiety and Learning Styles:
What Is the Relationship in Elementary Preservice Teachers?
Tina Sloan, Athens State University
C.J. Daane and Judy Giesen, University of Alabama
The study investigated the relationship between elementary preservice
teachersā mathematics anxiety levels and learning style preferences. Subjects
included 72 preservice teachers at a midsized southeastern U.S. university
who were at the end of their third year of study. The subjects completed
the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale and the Style Analysis Survey (SAS).
Scores obtained on the two instruments were analyzed using Pearson product-moment
correlations. Eleven of the SAS subscales were examined. The global subscale
was the only one related to mathematics anxiety at the p < .05 level
of significance. Findings revealed a low (r = .28) but significant (p <
.05) positive correlation between mathematics anxiety and a global (right-brain
dominant) learning style. As global orientation scores increased, mathematics
anxiety scores increased as well. This study indicated that there is tendency
for global learners to possess higher levels of mathematics anxiety.
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Building a Network to Empower Teachers for
School Reform
Wanda Weidemann and Mary Barr Humphrey
Western Kentucky University
Reform efforts in college mathematics teaching are often hindered by
the fact that many instructors have never experienced instructional delivery
methods other than lecture. Building a network of college mathematics
faculty interested in reform has provided the impetus for faculty members
to incorporate problem solving, cooperative learning, technology, manipulatives,
writing, and alternative means of assessment into courses for preservice
elementary teachers. Suggestions for setting up a network are intended
to provide guidance for other departments wishing to stimulate reform movements.
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